


At the Corner of Call and Answer

by HideawayB3



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, Hook is old in this one, There's a few surprises in here
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-24
Updated: 2017-09-11
Packaged: 2018-11-04 10:57:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 10
Words: 121,577
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10989516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HideawayB3/pseuds/HideawayB3
Summary: Emma is a 27 year old architect whose relationship hits a rough snag the second she returns home.Regina is a 23 year old with a secret..or two.. or many.What will happen when they meet at the corner of Call and Answer?





	1. The corner of Call and Answer

**Author's Note:**

  * For [To the fandom of Swan Queen](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=To+the+fandom+of+Swan+Queen).



> To be frank, this is why I wasn't updating my other fics. I just got this massive idea, so I do apologise and I will get to them eventually. I've also been dealing with other things and haven't had that burst to continue the chapters for the others just yet. But I do hope you enjoy this Preface to the beginning of my new installment.  
> Also, Hook isn't a douche in this one- he's actually really nice.
> 
> Megan

_ January 8th. 2016 _

_ It was good to be back. _

_ God damn was it good to be back. _

 

Back home, in Boston, where it rained a crap ton, but it was good. She admits to herself it really was good to be back home. To be back to a place, a state in which she grew up and still had some of her best memories here. At twenty seven, most would come to believe that for an architect who was known to travel consistently and repeatedly to other places and states, they’d have indulged in creating new memories. That they would have said some of their best memories were in these foreign places they had visited. But not her. No, she liked Boston more than anywhere else. Because it was home. Her friends were there. Her parents were there. Hell, some of her old flings were there. That’s where she got her start- a genuine running start at one of the best architectural companies on the planet and she knew her end always remained within that exact place as well. No matter how many other opportunities presented themselves to her, Emma Swan was wholeheartedly in love with her place of birth. It also helped that she had a special someone to come back to as well and that’s one of her main reasons for being so eager to return home.

 

_ It had been six months. _

 

Six long months of being away from her. And now, she was finally able to say she was home and she could see her and tell her how much she missed her and surprise her. She had plans for her girlfriend. One in particular sat in a velvet box in her leather jacket’s pocket. It felt comfortable there. It felt like it belonged there.. But only long enough until she got it on her finger. So, it was good to be back, because Emma had a plan and that plan entailed proposing and hoping to hell she doesn’t fuck it up with how nervous she tends to get and how easily flustered she tends to be.

“Ciara,” she whispered as she looked out of the window of the plane. The pilot was steering the plane towards the ramp where they’d exit and as they were pulling into the parking spot for that particular flight, Emma found herself on the edge of a radically thumping heartbeat. It was excitement, it was fear. It was everything she ever felt over the course of her life, now coming down as she absently stuck her hand in her pocket and thumbed the velvet box. It was a subconscious assurance that the ring was still there. That it had genuinely existed. That Emma had actually gone into a KAY jewellers store and picked it out before she paid for it, in cash….and that was another thing.

 

Emma was insanely well off because of her job.  _ I guess it pays to have your MBA _ , she thought to herself with a gentle smirk. She was one of the lucky few. With a father who was a police officer and a mother who was a lecturer at Boston University, Emma had one of the best possible running starts of life, and she refused to take it for granted. So, she had sacrificed every party, every relationship and every sorority offer just to finish early and begin her life and it proved to be in her favour by the time she realized she barely had much student loans to pay back and had began working for Mister Jones. 

Killian Jones, an Irishman of nobility and respect, well into his early sixties had hired Emma during her time in school and had kept her on his payroll well after she had graduated. Not realizing that her dual degree would work in her favour, Emma had nervously signed the contract that started her at $100,000 a year. She almost passed out at the offer until she had done her in depth research on the company and realized that they were well known in other continents around the world, not just the great states of the U.S. And then the benefits the company added were just as brain frying in the sense that she definitely did pass out when she realized that every project she was to do successfully increased her final pay to fifteen percent. That on top of the fact that every trip Emma took was fully paid for and it had also included her lodging at some of the best hotels all around, had her believing she may have actually been dreaming. But she wasn’t. She wasn’t dreaming because she remembers showing her parents and her father had gotten a friend of his to assess the contract and ensure Emma wasn’t being jacked. Her mother had looked at it a second time and they both ensured Emma, it wasn’t too good to be true. It was just true. She had taken the full time offer and since then, she’s never regretted it.

And now, here she was, pushing her nerves away and hoping to surprise Ciara with a proposal that would convey how much Emma loved and cared for her. Something dinged above her head, alerting all the passengers that their time within this metal coffin was completely over, unless of course they had a connecting flight that required them to sit within yet another metal coffin. 

But this was Emma’s stop.

She patiently waited for those who tend to rush- to leave the plane, and exit within their own chaos before she climbs out of her seat, grateful that the woman she had sat next to the entire ride was also gone. She had at one point asked Emma a few questions about herself, and once she realized Emma favoured the female anatomy more than the male anatomy, the woman had turned off all forms of interest in the younger one before her. Emma had merely shrugged gently in response and turned back to looking out of her window, praying the ride would quickly end.

Emma had reached up and pulled her bag out of the storage container that had been opened by one of the previous passengers before draping the strap of her duffel over her shoulder and turning to walk towards the exit. She smiled at the flight attendant who, if the blonde was correct, was flirting with her the entire plane ride. Whenever Emma had pressed the call button and the woman appeared, she seemed beyond excited to even talk to Emma and even after she’d given the blonde her number that one time Emma got up to go pee, and she’d been told very gently and respectfully that the blonde was taken. It didn’t seem the least bit painful that the woman just smiled back at her, nodded and apologised. And now, Emma was faced with her beautiful smirk yet again. She would of course be lying if she said the young woman with auburn hair and blue eyes didn’t interest her just a little bit, but Emma had a girlfriend who was waiting on her and she wouldn’t jeopardize that for anything.

“Thank you,” Emma smiled at her as she was about to pass and the woman responded very softly.

“Thank you for flying with us, enjoy the rest of your evening.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

It was another one of those nights. The nights when the regulars came and only requested her. This was one of those nights where she had to put on yet another fake smile and pretend as though her pride wasn’t being stripped with every passing second of her shift at this place. This seedy, unforgiving place. This was one of those nights where she missed important life changing events, where she missed milestones you don’t get to repeat, no matter how much you will time to rewind itself. But, she was a special order, and special orders are what special orders are….they’re requests that must be met. And she had to meet every single last one of them. Regardless of how downturning the request may be, or how queasy the implications become. She had to perform. The only fact of it, was that she was damn good at her job.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

After the young woman had went to the carousel to claim her other duffel bag, she’d made her way into the women’s bathroom to change her clothes, freshen up and take a piss. A well deserved piss. Emma strips from her usual plaid and wife beater combo to a more business-esque look of a nice black-blue button up and a grey tie. She wars with herself on leaving it in her pants or simply letting it hang out. She takes all of five minutes to decide this and within this time she’s already switched over her sneakers to some black, dress shoes.

“I guess I could leave it out,” she says to herself as she looks down at her attire and she has to admit, dark shades and colours really worked in her favour. But, her thought is stopped short by her bladder informing her that she needed to pee and so, Emma zipped her fly down and stood before the toilet before her head tilted back and she alleviated herself. She did the two shake move and tucked everything back into her jeans before zipping her fly back up, flushing the toilet and turning to pick up her bags. She exits the stall and sees someone staring at her, no doubt confused by her position earlier. The person stares at her and she stares right back at them, and then.. The woman staring at her merely smiles softly and Emma can feel herself relaxing more and more.

“You look nice,” is what the woman chooses to say instead of even commenting on the fact that Emma’s stance was facing the toilet when she pissed and not the other way around. Emma had looked down at her attire once again and blushed.

“Thank you.. I hope I look good enough for what I’m about to do,” she finds herself saying and the woman before her walks over and pats her shoulder.

“I’m sure you do,” she tells her and Emma nods before washing her hands and exiting. She goes to get herself a cup of coffee and wait for her ride, but it’s about a good twenty minutes later when she is vocally informed of their arrival.

“Emma!” the blonde hears her name being called. The voice carrying her name was light and yet, it managed to float across the evergoing noise of the airport. A few heads turn to regard the person, but Emma had managed to do a complete 360 in order to figure out where it had actually come from. “Em- turn around!” she hears the command, and following instructions, she did as she was told and turned around. Emma blinked, her face slowly morphing into one of joy and pleasure as her eyes settled on the person who had been summoning her. She rushes for the smaller woman and grabs hold of her around the middle before lifting her up and spinning her in a circle. The beautiful sign of happiness that is emitted via laughter, escapes this young woman as Emma sets her down. They stare at one another with smiles on their faces before Emma’s cheeks are peppered with kisses and she speaks.

“I missed you so much,” she smiles and Ariel laughs.

“You better be careful or else Eric’s gonna have words with you,” her friend warns and the blonde finds that moment to look around.

“Speaking of, where  _ is _ Eric?” Emma queried and Ariel shrugged gently.

“He went to take the puppy for a walk,” she responded and Emma grinned.

“You got the puppy?” Emma asks excitedly and Ariel rolls her eyes, laughing as well.

“Of course we got the puppy, you wouldn’t shut up about us getting the puppy. We even got those cute present boxes people put the puppies in, just so you wouldn’t have a fit that he’s just wrapped in a blanket,” Ariel informs before scoffing playfully. Emma blushes.

“Have I ever told you guys how much I love you?”

“Just about every minute we’re alive,” she teases. Emma gives Ariel a look of levelling that just has the redhead snorting at her.

“I’m serious… how’s everyone been though?”

“Well, Sebastian got into that performing arts school he’d wanted to go to for so long, but they didn’t want him as a student..apparently his voice was so beautiful and his form was so good that they had asked him to be one of the teachers there,”

“Oh! No way?” Emma commented and Ariel nodded. Ariel and Sebastian were the most like brother and sister. She’d known him since she was three. And he was always protective of his ‘little mermaid’ as he’d affectionately named her one day, simply because Ariel loved the ocean. She’d always dreamed of being in the ocean and living underwater with the sea creatures. Growing up in the neighbourhood they’d all grown up in, Emma was the only one of her friends who had managed to finish off her degree. Ariel wanted to be a marine biologist, but a baby and a wedding put a halt to that and now she was mostly doing tours at the aquarium, which, if she was being honest, was so much more fun. And the pay was pretty decent. It also helped that she knew a good bit of history on some of the animals, which in turn made her training process a breeze. Sebastian had always wanted to dance and sing and perform, however he could; but a performing arts school was just as- if not, more expensive than going to any other college. He mostly worked at a coffee shop, and a bookstore in the day, but at night, he went to dance competitions that were held all over the state, joined a group- correction, a step team and had found that the bit of extra money he earned from it was slowly helping him come closer to his dreams. Coupled with the fact that Sebastian also played his guitar and drums at open mic nights, and you would have sworn he was living the life. And then there was Eric. Eric was the most fortunate out of them all. Emma got the best educational running start, but Eric’s family and finances pretty much crippled the three of them put together. His mother and father owned a shipping company. As well as many...many..many boats that they allowed only as rentals, they’d later passed off to Eric to remain in charge of. Therefore, Eric and whoever he married, would never want for anything and it was pretty obvious because Ariel’s ring alone cost him almost 40,000 dollars that he’d simply written a cheque for and had never turned to worry about it again.

That wasn’t to say they didn’t associate with other people or have other friends. They all had other friends, and those other friends knew the four of them. But, the sad thing was that most of them had moved away or enlisted in the army or had quite possibly even ended up on drugs and strung out on something unsightly. Emma wouldn’t know because the ones who she kept in contact with, who also ensured to keep in contact with her were Ariel, Eric and Sebastian. Lee tried damn hard but when you’re pretty much called a runt in the army and being told that it was special treatment because your father’s a sergeant, you tend to work harder to prove to everyone that your family name didn’t define you and neither did the success of your parents. And that was something they were all privy to. They all grew up in a fairly well off neighbourhood even if they were still considered middle class. All of their parents had fairly high paying jobs. Sebastian’s mother was a lawyer and his father was an artist, just as Eric’s parents owned their boat company. Ariel’s folks were hippies that made their money off natural products, mostly from the ocean and of course Emma’s mother being a lecturer, a philosophy lecturer and her father being a man of the law. But, Lee had it bad. She was the only female in her squad, which meant more torture, taunting, teasing and implied rape jokes were coming her way, and yet, she pushed on and pushed through. And she was currently on tour. Has been for the past two years.

“Aurora is having a hard time,” Ariel continued and Emma sighed.

“What did she do this time?”

“Cops caught her in possession of marijuana, but she says it wasn’t hers...apparently the new guy she’s involved with was ..or still is, a drug dealer,” her friend had recapped for her, waiting for that signature eye roll that Emma usually fashioned with her response.

“I’m starting to believe she really goes looking for this kind of trouble. She knows she had a bad run in with that stuff when we were younger-,”

“-and yet, here she is..again. Around it. Em, there’s really nothing we can do. We’ve told her to stop, if she doesn’t want to, or can’t bother to… we just need to leave her to it,”

“You’re implying we let our friend- one of our best friends, destroy her life?”

“No, I’m flat out saying to let Rory fall on her face because she’s hard-headed and won’t listen to us no matter how much we care or imply to her that she shouldn’t be doing this. You know this better than I do that the more we coddle her, the more shit she’s bound to get involved in. And the more shit she’s bound to get involved in-,”

“-the more she’ll look for us to bail her out. Yeah, I got you..” responds with a sigh. Ariel rubs her back. “I really wish I could disagree with you on everything,”

“Yeah, but you know I’m right most, if not, all the time…. Come on, let’s get going, Eric should be back to the car by now.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

 

“Remind me again why you didn’t just leave your car on the parking dock?” Eric questions sassily only to have Emma give him a look from the backseat of the car.

“Because, I didn’t feel the need to calculate six months into minutes to stick into a parking meter,  _ Eric _ ,” she responds back, just as sassy. He of course laughs at her words, but it’s true. It was and would be a waste of money to put that many quarters into the parking meter when it probably couldn’t take that much, or even still, have the car sitting on the parking dock she’d have had to pay some overpriced fee for just because it was sitting there.

“Fair enough,” he commented and watched Emma smile at him before she turned her attention to the little puppy in the box. He had fallen asleep and Emma supposes that’s a thing puppies do, but she’s never had a dog. She barely liked having any animal at all, but it was mostly due to the fact that even in her younger years, she wasn’t home much and wouldn’t be home much to take care of them. “Don’t worry,” Eric began, “He’s already had all his shots and we bought everything you told us…. Oh, and you sent way too much money to buy that stuff, anyway,” Eric informed but Emma shrugged her shoulders. The new addition to Emma’s life had been bought a massive two bags of dog food, both wet and dry. A few bowls for his food and water, different leashes, toys, training pads and other things you needed to keep little ones like him healthy.

“I told you, whatever you didn’t spend, just put it in Brandon’s piggybank,” Emma responded but her friends rolled their eyes.

“You know Brandon doesn’t need it,”

“He’s my godson. Of course he needs it,” she argued and Eric laughed.

“Speaking of-,”

“-Eric.. Not yet,” Ariel interrupted.

“Not yet what?” Emma asked, now more intrigued than before. Eric sighed and so did Ariel.

“I think we should tell her,” he said, shrugging uneasily. His smile was always one Emma envied. It was more dimpled than her own. His chin, his cheeks, his god damn forehead. Everything dimpled. Emma was sure even when Eric scowled, he still had dimples and that just confused the hell out of her.

“Alright.. Fine… Em, we’re…..expecting,” Ariel said and found herself swallowing just after the words left her mouth. Emma hadn’t responded with words, but based on her squeal of excitement, Ariel concluded that Emma was overjoyed to hear the news. Granted, her friend was only about a month in, but it was more than she could have asked for.

And so, their car ride continued and it consisted of some of the most entertaining conversation they’d all had in a while, considering Emma was gone for an entire six months.

 

“Alright ma’am. This is your stop,” Eric informed, putting on his best impression of a cab driver from the 20s. Emma couldn’t help but laugh as she got out of the car and grabbed both of her duffels, immediately spotting her car and jogging over to look at it. It definitely needed a good cleaning, but for right now, she’ll settle for looking at it for what it was. Eric brought out the box with the new puppy in it after he’d put all the puppy supplies in Emma’s back trunk and handed him over to Emma before kissing his best friend’s forehead and bidding her good night. Ariel waved from the car and Emma held up a hand and waved back. She mouthed the words thank you and be safe and Ariel nodded before tapping the left side of her chest. ‘Love you’ is what that motion meant between them and Emma felt herself smiling almost sadly before she willed herself to nod at the action and turned to head up the stairs, puppy in tow. 

On her way towards the stairs for the apartment complex Ciara had been staying in, Emma passed by the car she’d bought Ciara. That car was one of the newest models on the market from Mercury and it was always ‘nothing but the best for Ciara’. Because Ciara had been with Emma for more four years now and this was something Emma held onto like a lifeline. Because Emma’s parents may not have loved Ciara, but they tolerated her for their daughter. Because Ciara was always telling Emma it was okay when she had to leave for her jobs that took her, sometimes- way out of state for months at a time. Because Emma loved her… and she was nearly positive she was falling in love with her.

She smiled as the thoughts came to her, not realizing she’d practically floated up the stairs and towards the front door of the apartment. She set the box down and knocked. Granted, Emma had a key because this was an apartment they shared, but she felt the surprise would be even more amazing, if she knocked.

It took some time and that made her nervous. She began fiddling with the strap against her chest and waited with bated breath, knocking again to ensure Ciara heard her, and finally the door was answered, but it wasn’t Ciara who answered the door. This was someone Emma had never seen before in her life.

“Uhhh, hi,” the person said and Emma realized she actually needed to say words, but the burning confusion and bubbling bit of anger she was feeling had her face looking more along the lines of murder.

“Hi, who are you?” she immediately asked.

“I’m Taylor. Who are you?” the woman before her asked, arms now folded as she leaned against the door post.  Emma took in the appearance of.. Tyler? And noticed that Toby seemed to be rather comfortable in her no bra, wife beater and shorts combo. Emma wasn’t sure if she was more of a sporty type of girl or someone very feminine who just likes to dress comfortably in her downtime, but this was confusing as hell.

“A friend of the woman who lives here and the person paying rent for this apartment…. Is Ciara in?”

“No, she’s not.. What did you say your name was again?”

“A friend.. I also live here,” Emma repeated and Taylor squinted a bit before the words clicked in her head. Emma could’ve sworn she saw fear cross her eyes before the woman managed to mask that with her very practiced smile, but that was more than likely because of Emma’s current, brazen attitude.

“Oh! Hi, Ciara’s told me so much about you,” Taylor commented and Emma nodded uneasily with a weird smile.

“She has, huh,”

“Yeah, totally. She said you were her roommate. You’re an architect, right?” Turkey asked her and she nodded, albeit- even more dumbly than she wished. “You guys have known each other for.. Four years?” she continued, acutely aware that she may have been digging herself a hole. This is what happens when she tried being nice to people. She screwed up even more. But that was all dependent on what exactly it was Ciara had told her.

“Five, but.. She told you about me?” Emma asked, now feeling her anger do something along the lines of multiply.

“Yeah,” Taylor nodded and Emma inhaled deeply.

“I’m sorry, but I haven’t heard of you before,” Emma had managed to get out, masking her anger to figure out what in the hell was happening.

“That’s strange, considering I’ve heard so much about the great roommate who is…” the young woman commented before she swallowed and said, “I’m Ciara’s girlfriend,” Tina told her and Emma felt bile rise at the back of her throat. Her eyebrows must’ve stopped themselves from rising in confusion and interest.

“Her girlfriend?” Emma repeated in question.

“Yeah,” Brittany told her and Emma nodded.

“Oh.. that’s cool.. Well, you know- I’m just her roommate. Just her friend. I just came back to surprise her,” Emma said and those words hurt more to say than it felt with her duffel strap against her chest. Abigail managed to smile at her.

“That’s really sweet of you..oh, right, come inside- come inside,” she’d told Emma and the blonde nodded before bending to pick up the box and head inside. “Why did you knock, I thought you would’ve had a key,” Tyler told her and she shrugged. “Anyway, I’m heading out in a about five minutes, I have to get to my shift in a few,” she informed Emma and the blonde spoke.

“Oh yeah.. Where do you work?”

“I do security, so I’m all over the place,”

“I understand,” Emma said as she began looking around the apartment, no doubt already seeing pictures of her and Ciara gone and what wasn’t gone, was replaced by .. those. “Hey, does Ciara still work at the same place?” Emma then found herself asking and she knows that this Taylor person hesitated on her answer.

“That depends on where she’s been working for the past six months,”

“Fast food joint/ diner thing over on the other side of town,” Emma filled in and Abigail nodded.

“Yeah.. she does. Why’d you ask?”

“No reason, I figured I’d drive up to see her and surprise her,” Emma responded and she heard the immediate change in tone. It was a happier one.

“Oh! Well, she gets off at like eleven or something tonight,”

“cool,” Emma said to herself. She found herself a seat in the couch and unlocked her phone, waiting for Tommy to come back out.

“Sorry I’m in such a rush and I promised her I’d get her car cleaned for her,” Tuna said as she looked at her watch. “I mean, I drive it more than she does anyway,” the woman elaborated and Emma could’ve sworn her head fought to snap in the woman’s direction and burn her alive with her stare.

“It’s cool,” Emma settled for saying as she stood up and reached for the box, she pulled the little fella out and made sure he stayed wrapped in his blanket as she held on to him.

“He’s so cute. Is he yours?”

“No.. he was a gift,”

“Oh.. well, he really is cute.. And it was nice meeting you- but I didn’t catch your name,”

“It’s weird she’s never told you my name,”

“That’s Ciara for you.. The only thing I know about her was a few of her exes, but even that’s a little secretive for her,” Taylor laughed gently and Emma managed to smirk somewhat. They made their way to the door and Emma fiddled around to make sure she had her keys, realizing she grazed a hand past the velvet box with the engagement ring in it. She stiffened at the contact and could only faintly make out the sound of Taylor’s voice.

“Hey, Taylor right?”

“Yeah?”

“Could you not tell Ciara I was here.. You know, the whole surprise thing is kinda important,” the blonde said, trying to play off the fake ‘unease’ in her tone.

“Oh, sure. I get you..” she answered, trailing off because Emma still didn’t tell her her name.

“Thanks… so, how long have you guys been together?”

“A little over six months,” she tells her and Emma felt the lump form before she swallows.

“That’s great…”

“She’s amazing,” Taylor added, only to see Emma’s almost too sad to comment smile.

“I’m happy for you two,” she informs. “By the way.. It’s Emma..my name, it’s Emma,” the blonde tells her before she sees the bit of fear return. This looked way more obvious than any other form of fear, but Taylor didn’t know what to do with this information. She heard Ciara had an ex named Emma and the fact that Ciara’s ‘roommate’ was also named Emma, was something. But up until now she never assumed it could possibly be the same person. She thought it was coincidence, this thing and if she was being honest with herself, she still thought it was coincidence because if Emma really was an ex, she’d be raging and angry and threatening her, right?

So, that fear drifted from her face because, she was ignorant to the obvious that stood right before her, literally. She smiled at Emma and hugged her.

“It was nice meeting you, roomie,” she’d said and Emma hesitantly hugged back.

“You too. Remember,” Emma said before pressing her finger to her lips and Taylor grinned.

“Of course.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

**_Six months earlier_ **

“ _ Do you _ **_really_ ** _ have to go?” Ciara whined as she watched Emma pack up her duffel. Emma just shoved a few more shirts in there as she sighed. She turned to Ciara who was on her knees in their bed, pouting at her. Emma leaned in and kissed her. _

_ “Yes, I’m sure I have to go,” she said with a sigh and Ciara huffed. They’d been together so long that Ciara had started school and stopped school more times to count. She always found excuse not to continue but Emma kept pushing her and having faith in her, even when she flat out said she’d quit. Emma never complained when it came time to pay to help her start back up and she usually sacrificed her own time just to help Ciara study, but something just kept going off and Ciara would stop abruptly. _

_ Quite frankly, there was a lot of weird things about their relationship that most wouldn’t understand, but that was just them. For as educated as they both were, Ciara refused to work anywhere that wasn’t some dead end waitressing job, for whatever reason, but Emma never asked why. The apartment was technically Ciara’s but Emma was the one paying the rent for it and stocking it with food all the time. And the fact that Emma didn’t have an apartment of her own because she travelled so much that she claimed it was a waste of money, which- it really would be, but still. She never once asked Ciara where her money was going or what she was doing with it because anytime Ciara asked her for money to shop, she gave her money to shop. And it wasn’t as if Emma couldn’t afford it. Shit, she could afford alot, she just didn’t like bragging about the fact that she could. _

_ “How long?” Ciara queried and Emma huffed. _

_ “Six months,” _

_ “Seriously?” _

_ “Yep,” _

_ “But you just came back like three weeks ago,” Ciara reminded her and she rubbed at her eyes, no doubt remembering it as well. Jet lag was a serious bitch and Emma was still getting over it. _

_ “Trust me, I don’t wanna travel anymore than you want me to leave,” Emma groans. _

_ “I hate this,” she complained and Emma nodded. _

_ “I know. Me too, but it’s my job,” _

_ “I still hate it,” Ciara admitted and Emma laughed sadly. _

_ “I’m sorry, baby,” she said but Ciara smirked a little and leaned in to hug her. _

_ “No, I’m sorry. I’m not being supportive enough. Go, do your thing and I’ll see you when you get back?” _

_ “Of course. I love you. You know that right?” _

_ “I know Em. I love you too,” she’d smiled at her and they shared yet another kiss. “Come back to me whole, please,” Ciara joked and Emma shook her head. _

_ “Of course...listen, how about I take you anywhere you wanna go tonight and we’ll go shopping tomorrow.. We’ll get you a new car,” Emma told her and Ciara just stared at her with awe. _

_ “Seriously!” she squealed excitedly and Emma nodded. _

_ “Why not,” the blonde laughed and was tackled. Ciara peppered her face with kisses. _

_ “Yes, yes, a hundred times yes… and we’re going to Mario’s tonight,” _

_ “Yes ma’am. I’ll put in a reservation,” Emma grinned before she kissed her girlfriend once more. “What kind of car do you want, though?” _

_ “I don’t care, as long as it’s pretty,” Ciara told her honestly and Emma had to roll her eyes. This woman was something. _

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Emma jabbed a hand against the steering wheel over and over and over again as she thought back to the six months prior to it all. Nothing and when she said nothing, absolutely nothing felt out of place. It was their usual banter, their usual conversation and Emma’s usual of buying Ciara whatever it was she wanted just to make sure she was always happy. And now, she’s home, to this shit.. Now she was home to this bit of confusion that made her question every version of what the fuck?

 

The light turned green and it took a car blaring their horn for Emma to put her own in motion. She drove down the strip and right into an early phase of rain that came out of nowhere.  _ I guess I don’t have to wash my car now _ she thought to herself, but even that personal joke didn’t get her to bust a gut laughing. It hadn’t even made her smirk. Quite frankly, she’s nearly positive she may have been scowling if anything. In what existence on this planet was it okay to cheat on someone who was giving you everything and asking nothing in return, for  _ six months! _

What manner of evil existed that said this shit was okay?

Who the hell approved cheating on the list of human functions?

_ What the actual hell have I gotten myself into? _


	2. Disconnection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well.. it happened. ;)

It was pretty close to the time Ciara was to be getting off from work and Emma had many thoughts running through her head. The most specific of them being, why Ciara would give.. what’s her face her car, knowing she’d have no way of getting home, unless she asked someone for a ride or took the bus. But that was the whole point of Emma getting her a car to begin with, most specifically, a new one that wouldn’t break down on her or completely stall itself or roll over. She bought Ciara a new car specifically because she wanted Ciara to have a car that wouldn’t give her any trouble. But Ciara goes and gives the car to someone else that claims they’re together and that’s like adding the much needed friction to a firecracker. She was ‘bout to blow.

The little puppy in the back whimpered lightly as he looked at Emma who managed to give the little fella a smile and a head scratch. That seemed to be all he needed as he lay there in Emma’s lap after she moved him from his spot in the back. By the time her watch ticked over, informing her it was eleven, Emma set him right back in the back and wrapped him in his blanket before she got out of the car, went around the passenger side and leaned up against her car door. Time passed and as it passed, Emma thought about how much she needed a cigarette. Something she’d managed to give up a good while back after she met Ciara. But now, Ciara was the cause of her wanting to smoke it, to be honest.

“Emma?!” she heard the questioned surprise and looked up from her staring competition with the tar parking lot. It was Ciara, no doubt, shocked to see her there.

“Hey,” the blonde said to her, only to be the recipient of Ciara rushing towards her and latching onto her.

“Oh my God, you’re home! Baby, I missed you so much!” she admitted, and the words were true, but at this point in time, anything she said was a lie to Emma.

“I missed you too,” she said as they pulled apart. She hadn’t embraced her fully. She’d performed that one armed, half-assed hug you usually did with people you didn’t know or didn’t like.

“When did you get back?” Ciara asked with her usual smile. One so beautiful, Emma wished she’d hated her for it.

“Tonight,” Emma informed.

“Have you gone home yet? Did you eat?” Ciara riddled off questions, and she seemed to be..well, not worried about anything out of the ordinary, like her cheating.

“I went over to the apartment first, but you weren’t there, so I just dropped my duffel by the door and came up this way… where’s your car?” Emma asked and she saw it. The immediate freeze up and the blatant look of Ciara formulating a lie.

“Oh, a friend’s getting it cleaned for me and she needed to borrow it for work tonight..”she’d said and the simple fact that it was a lie but wasn’t a lie at the same time, irked Emma. But, she just nodded it away.

“Cool,” Emma had said with a nod and noticed that Ciara was staring into her car with wide eyes.

“What’s that?” she queried and Emma looked back to see that Hydra was now rustling to release himself from the blanket. Ciara pulled the door open and squealed. “You got me a puppy?!” she asked excitedly and Emma nodded. “Seriously! What’s his name?”

“Hydra,” Emma told her.

“Hiiiii, Hydra. I’m your momma now. And you little guy, are so cute!” she complimented before nuzzling him and he whimpered with joy. His tail wagged dramatically with the excitement before Ciara just continued to coo him. Her phone rung and she pulled it from her pocket, the telltale sign of that fear yet again crossed her face, but she swallowed and denied the caller. She stuck it back in her pocket, ready to play with Hydra again, when it rang off once again and she yanked it out. Once again, she denied the caller and received a text immediately after that. Her finger hovered over the keypad as she hesitated to answer, but then she had just clicked her lock button and her phone screen went dark.

“Something bothering you?” Emma asked her and the blonde watched as she shook her head violently.

“No- no. I’m fine. Just someone I know being a bit too much right now,”

“mm,” Emma commented, but it sounded more like a grunt than anything else. Emma just opened the passenger door and watched as Ciara got right into Emma’s car and Emma got in on the driver’s side and began to drive towards the apartment. Throughout the drive, Ciara had been on her phone, furiously typing out messages, more than likely to her current girlfriend. Most of her facial expressions were either worried or relieved and Emma had to wonder if she hadn’t come back sooner, what would have become of their relationship. Ciara continued to message Taylor back and forth, her panic now settling in because she realizes that Emma went to the apartment first and though none of Taylor’s things are there, or should be there- Taylor has a god damn key.. She also took notice of the way Emma’s jaw was clenched and the way she seemed more annoyed about something that she wasn’t speaking about.

“Babe?” she called and at first Emma didn’t answer, her focus on the road and determination to just ignore her anger for the duration of the ride. Hydra, for the most part just seemed to get comfortable sleeping in her lap. “Emma?” she called again and this time, Emma responded.

“Hmm?”

“You okay? You look… tense,”

“Just thinking,” she responded and it sounded so flat.

“You sure?”

“Mhm,”

“Okay… hey, how was the project?” Ciara asks, trying to raise the level of joy but Emma just shrugged.

“It was fine,”

“What piece did he settle on?”

“One that represented lies,” Emma said shortly and heard the vocal choke that Ciara couldn’t control.

“Lies?” she tried asking without sounding guilty herself. Emma nodded.

“And infidelity,” she continued and Ciara choked again. Emma eyes her weirdly. “Are you okay?” she asked and Ciara nodded and held up a hand.

“Yeah, I think I might be,” she faked a cough and paused. “Sorry. I don’t know what that was…. How does one make a design of lies and infidelity?” she queried.

“Well, I’m an architect. I don’t just design buildings I have to help design structures… artistic ones at that. Sculptures as well,” Emma told her and the irony of her being hired to do that particular job just eviscerated her entire world.

“That’s.. Good,” Ciara settled for saying, only to see Emma shrug as if it were nothing. Emma continued to drive until they arrived at the apartment complex, more than one version of confusion and pain running across her face that she’d managed to keep hidden for the duration of the ride. They went upstairs and into the apartment, Ciara picking up Emma’s duffel and carrying it into their room. Emma, for some odd reason, did not go into their shared bedroom. At least, not right then and there. She instead sat on the couch with Hydra scratching at her leg for attention. This seemed to work in Ciara’s favour when she neared the door and was met with a bed full of roses.

Ciara panicked to say the least. Who wouldn’t?!

She flailed for all of five seconds, the shock pretty evident that it’d struck her dumb, but once she had managed to contain herself, she bolted for the bed. She had no idea what surge of energy came over her, but she needed to get rid of every bit of evidence that was currently there. She panicked and as she panicked, she reacted. She tossed everything, shoving the rose petals to the back of the bed and blowing out candles Taylor had lit. She knew Taylor had done it because Taylor flat out made it obvious by calling her baby girl in the card Ciara now had a hold of. She opened the bedside table and shoved it in before shutting it and walking back out into the living room.

“You hungry?” she questioned, the weird tone of fear still evident in her voice. She also looked very winded, uncomfortably fluffing her hair that didn’t need it. Emma shook her head.

“No, I had coffee earlier,” Emma recalled and Ciara nodded but headed into the kitchen anyway.

“We’ve talked about this before. Coffee isn’t food,”

“It’s a proper substitute for a meal,” Emma argued back, but it wasn’t even remotely angry. She was more distracted than anything else. She then stood up and sighed before stretching and heading towards their bedroom. She stopped at the entrance because something beneath the bed caught her eye. Granted, anything beneath that bed would catch her eye considering it was raised up off the ground by a little over a foot.

Her eyebrow rose in suspicion. Suspicion that was well placed as she bent a little and squinted.

 _Rose petals?!_ She queried. Emma looked back to see whether Ciara was busy or not before she walked further into the room and bent down. _Yup, those are rose petals. Fresh ones at that_ she had concluded to herself before sighing and standing. She looked around their bedroom. Having not seen the thing since six months ago was a bit of a pain right then and there. There was literally no trace of Emma anywhere in that room and though Emma figured Taylor would’ve been there more often than not and had her suspicions, she was just as sure Ciara could easily explain it away. She could claim whilst Emma was away she’d looked for a roommate for the duration of her trip and that’s why Emma’s clothes were in her closet and that’s why her underwear was in the drawers. Who fucking knows. Ciara was good at lying until she wasn’t.

Her eyes scan the room once more, taking into account the candles that sat in a cluster. Emma didn’t need to get much closer to them to realize Taylor must’ve planned some very special night. Or at least left Ciara with a present for her to come back to. At this point, none of that mattered to the blonde. All she wanted to do right in that moment, was ball up and cry, but fuck if she didn’t want answers, she’d be lying to herself. So, Emma inhaled deeply and got on the bed. She kept her shoes on as she sat with her back pressed against the headboard and her legs crossed before her. She turned on the tv and began mindlessly flicking through the channels until she heard Ciara comment something along the lines of Emma not usually liking the fact that shoes ended up in the bed. Emma’s eyes twitched slightly before she felt Ciara settle into the bed next to her and nudge her. Her view of the tv never changed, mostly because she actually _didn’t_ want to look at Ciara to begin with.

“Em?”

“Hmm?”

“You sure you’re okay? You’ve been weird ever since you got back,” Ciara tells her and Emma is so close to commenting that Ciara’s the reason why she’s so off, but she bites that back before shaking her head once again.

“I’m fine,” is her response and the tone is clipped. Clipped enough that it makes Ciara sigh.

“You gonna change your clothes? I mean, you look nice, but still. You’ve been in them all day,” she commented and Emma snorted. She knows she snorted. She wasn’t in them all day. She was barely in them for more than three hours at this stage in their conversation.

“Maybe later,” she answered, finally.

“Well, could you at least take your shoes off. You hate having shoes on in bed,” Ciara comments before she reaches over and begins to unlace Emma’s dress shoes. The blonde shifts her feet away from the woman and does it herself.

“It’s fine,” she comments as she pulls them off and drops them on the floor unceremoniously. She rights herself against the headboard once more.

“You _are_ being weird,” Ciara says this time instead of asking why she was. It was becoming more and more obvious, she just didn’t know Emma already knew everything there was to know. Emma just shrugged at her, eyes still focused on the tv. Ciara huffed before she ate her dinner in silence. Whatever it was she made, it smelt pretty good, but even still, Emma wasn’t hungry enough to want to eat right that second. Shortly after, she left the room, washed up her plate and announced, “I’m gonna go take a shower,” to which Emma is almost positive she shrugged at once again.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

By the time the shower started up and the telltale sign of Ciara being within the confinement space of said shower had come, Emma actually decided to move from her spot. She got out of the bed and began to unbutton her shirt before she pulled her drawer open and upon sight, she immediately began fuming. All of her stuff was there, that wasn’t her problem. But what was her problem came in the form of the state in which her clothes were in.

Emma was always the type who had packages of fresh underclothes...and she kept a fairly neat drawer all the time as well. She almost always had three packs of new boxers and briefs, along with at least two packs of undershirts. But it’s clear her clothes had been tampered with. Her briefs were still in the pack, but the packaging had been opened and the tape that usually indicated the underwear had never been unraveled, was missing. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, they weren’t even rolled back up like you usually get them once in the packaging.

 _She wore my fucking underwear?!_ The blonde queried silently as she scowled at the clothes in the drawer.

Emma reached for the packaging and shook out the underwear atop the bureau, noticing the new smell was replaced with something akin to fabric softener. The exact same fabric softener scent Ciara was known for using. It was a specific scent that was on every article of clothing that ever belonged to Ciara. And that precise thing gave way to the fact that Taylor was more than likely the one who wore her underwear. Emma could assure herself of that for one specific reason. _Ciara._ Ciara was too much of a femme fatale to bother wearing what Emma could comfortably wear on any given day. She was a panties, thongs and boy shorts kind of girl, for the simple fact that she hated the way everything else looked on her and preferred the way they all looked on Emma instead. Especially since Emma was packing a little extra downstairs.

The blonde grabbed hold of every bit of underwear she was positive had been worn and tossed them into the trash before walking into the closet and checking over her clothes.

It didn’t seem as though Taylor had worn her shoes or anything else of hers, but why in the fuck would Ciara give her access to Emma’s underwear of all things.. The shower stopped. Emma paused her actions as she turned and heard Ciara step out of the shower and open the bathroom door.

“Wow, you decided to move,” she teased, but Emma didn’t have it in her to even fake a laugh. She instead spoke, denying the conversation much past what she was offering.

“I’m gonna take a shower,” she tells her instead and Ciara nods before pushing the door open some more. Emma then stripped herself of her shirt and walked into the bathroom, looking at Ciara as she brushed her teeth and once again, something seemed very very off. There was an extra toothbrush sitting in the cup. A toothbrush that was clearly used and didn’t belong to either of them considering Ciara was currently brushing her teeth...and Emma’s toothbrush was still taking up residence in her duffel bag. “Whose toothbrush is that?” Emma queried, her chin jutting out as she made motion to the cup and Ciara paused.

“Huh?”

“The toothbrush.. Whose is it?” Emma asked once again and Ciara shrugged.

“Isn’t it yours,” she said but Emma shook her head, her eyebrow threatening to rise at the words.

“No. _My_ toothbrush is in my duffel bag still. Yours is in your mouth, so whose toothbrush is it?” Emma asked, her calm beginning to not be calm anymore. Ciara shrugged and looked at Emma a little annoyed.

“I don’t know then. It’s not mines. And if you say it’s not yours, maybe it’s one of them to clean our sneakers with. I dunno, Emma,” Ciara answers rather flustered. She now seems annoyed and Emma has to wonder how in the hell Ciara can conclude she has any right to be upset.

“We don’t put sneaker cleaning toothbrushes in the cup. You know that,” Emma tells her, her tone dangerously flat and close to hitting sarcasm. Ciara rolled her eyes.

“Then I don’t know, Emma. God, does it matter that much?” she asked before yanking it from the cup and flinging it beneath the cupboard. “There, out of sight, out of mind,” she tells her, eyes rolling as she turns back to brushing her teeth. Emma shakes her head and turns the shower on, waiting for it to heat up- she sits atop the toilet and rubs at her eyes before her hand presses at the back of her neck and she squeezes gently. Ciara watches her for a minute before her phone alerts her of a text and she goes to get it before coming back in the bathroom, toothbrush hanging from her mouth as she reads it over and responds, a cheeky grin splitting out across her face.

Emma sits there and she thinks she really should have just gone to the hotel room that her boss had paid for. It’s not as if she didn’t have somewhere else to go. Hell, she could even go to her parents’ place, but being alone was more appealing than being around people and she really could have avoided all of this if she’d just told Eric and Ariel to take her to the hotel instead of this fucking place. But she was here now and she needed to shower, so she stood and pulled back the curtain.

The curtain was the final straw.

“Ciara?” Emma called, her head turning slightly as she maintained her grip on the shower curtain. Two towels. _Two towels!_ Two very obvious towels sat there, one close to drying and the other damp as fuck. That one, Ciara had just used, but the other one Emma knew only could belong to Taaaaaaaaaylor. But it was Emma’s fucking towel. Specifically engraved with her initials on it and Taylor was fucking using it. _Great_.

“Hmm?” Ciara answered her, not looking away from her phone.

“Who are you cheating on me with?” Emma asked her. It lacked all fight that could possibly be available. She heard Ciara’s toothbrush fall from her grasp.

“ _What?”_ Ciara asked her, and she sounded offended. “Who am I what, Emma?”

“Cheating on me with. Who is it?” Emma asked her and Ciara huffed.

“Emma, I’m not cheating on you-,”

“-Ciara. Stop. Stop lying to me, please. There’s a little bit too much that’s obvious that gives it away. And before you contemplate continuing to lie to me. Tell me who you’re cheating on me with,” Emma implores and Ciara shakes her head.

“I’m not cheating on you-,”

“CIARA!” she belts and she can feel the woman flinch. Emma turns to face her fully. “Who is it?” Emma pushes but Ciara shakes her head.

“It’s no one,” she claims and Emma feels her anger turn into disbelief that she’s holding onto this lie. She begins to laugh and it is absolutely broken in the way she feels it escaping her chest, heaving and unbridled.

“Really?” Emma asks, nodding frantically at her own question, her laughter still coming out as untamed as her hair on a bad day. “ _Seriously_?” she continues on sarcastically. “Okay- okay.. O-kay!” she says before she walks out of the bathroom and Ciara follows her.

“Emma- what are you doing?” she asks, watching the woman pace their bedroom.

“I’m thinking of ways to _not_ strangle you right now,” Emma spat watching the fear cross Ciara’s face. “I am thinking of ways not to blow up on you because you are lying straight to my face. I’m trying- Ciara.. To not hate you for what you’ve done to me and are continuing to do to me because you won’t stop lying to me-”

“-I’m not lying!” she claims loudly and Emma pauses her pacing. The about turn she does is enough to make Ciara back up as she watches Emma then stalk towards her and grab hold of her hand. She pulls her into the bathroom and shoves her against the wall. Emma rustles around under the cupboard before pulling out the toothbrush. “This belongs to your secret girlfriend..doesn’t it?” Emma asks before flicking the toothbrush and letting it drop on the ground. Ciara stares at her, still in fear before Emma yanks the curtains open. “My towel. My towel that I’m more than positive I washed before I left, is sitting in this shower, damp..why? Because your little girlfriend used it, didn’t she?” Emma asked once again before she threw it at Ciara’s chest and stalked out of the bathroom. Ciara, for all her fear and stupidity, followed behind Emma as the blonde brought the trash into their bedroom and dumped everything onto the ground. “And my underwear- out of every fucking thing you could have let her wear. You give her my new underwear! You let her wear my fucking underwear and you don’t even replace it! You don’t even have the decency to toss it?! You seriously let your girlfriend put her crotch in my underwear. You let her put her crotch in my underwear and then you washed it and left it in the drawer, thinking I wouldn’t realize it? Are you stupid? Have you lost your damn mind?” the blonde continued before picking up the underwear and tossing it around the room, letting it litter the ground. “How could you! How! Ciara- how-,”

“-okay, okay.. Emma, baby calm down. Please just calm down and listen to me,” Ciara tries but Emma flails and backs away from her, stumbling on the trash on the floor. “Emma.. please.. I didn’t..I don’t,” Ciara says before stopping short. “I…” she tries again but is lost for words.

“I don’t wanna hear it, Ciara. Did you honestly think I wouldn’t have found out somehow? About the candles? About the rose petals you shoved under the bed? About your _goddamn_ girlfriend! Huh?! Did you really believe I wouldn’t catch on, or that I’d be too stupid to see the signs, the obvious things you couldn’t even keep track of…” Emma just riddles off. Ciara swallows thickly.

“I… Emma I’m not cheating,” she says and Emma snorts violently.

“Ciara… if you don’t stop lying to me, I just might slap you... Seriously, I met her. I _met_ her,” Emma spits. “Your precious girlfriend. What’s her name- Tyler? Taylor? Yeah- I met her,” Emma reminds, shaking her head violently as she laughs at the insanity of it all. “And it was her you were texting right?” Emma pushed. “Am I right?” she asked knowingly and Ciara could only cry silently and nod.

“Em-,”

“- _Shut. Up,”_ Emma scowled. “Just, shut up. You lied to me and when you had an opportunity to tell me the truth, you kept lying to me… She was _in_ my fucking apartment! She’s worn my fucking underwear and she more than likely fucked you on my bed- our bed! A bed I slept in Ciara. A bed where it felt like home because you were there. And you let her fuck you on our bed. You let her make you cum, on our bed. She ate you out- _on our bed_. Did you let her strap you? Huh? Did you let her fuck you with some fake, plastic dick?!” Emma blurted angrily. “Did you let your girlfriend go down on you in our bed? Did you get her to say every filthy thing you couldn’t get me to, on this bed?” she asked. Ciara tried to hold back her tears. “ANSWER ME!” Emma snapped.

“Ye-e-es!” she cried painfully and Emma huffed. She went into the bathroom and grabbed up her shirt before shoving her arms through the sleeves and letting it hang openly, her toned stomach always on display in some manner or another. She walked over to the bureau and grabbed Ciara’s phone.

“Everything I’ve ever given you, you took it for granted. For the past six months you’ve been with her. Six months!” Emma laughed. “ You couldn’t wait for me to leave, could you?” Emma queried as she waltzed around the room, that scarily soft movement of her hips swaying as she silently danced around the room. Ciara could only continue to watch. “ _So_ , Ciara.. How many times have you done this to me? You know, waited until I left so you could fuck around with a bunch of random women?”

“I.. didn’t,” Ciara managed and once again, Emma snorted.

“ _Okayyyy_ ,” she mocked. “And she just randomly showed up one day? Huh? You just bumped into each other on the sidewalk? Or did you go looking for her. Did you go looking for something you knew you shouldn’t have been searching for?” Emma asked, her head tilting dangerously. “You can tell me. I mean, I already know you’ve been fucking her. I already know she pretty much lives here and uses my things. So tell me. How’d you and _Taylor_ meet?”

“We met at the diner,” Ciara muttered, looking away from Emma completely. Emma grinned. And damn was it frightening.

“Ohhhh, she ordered a burger and some fries with a shake? Did she doodle her number on some napkin and leave it for you in hopes that you’d call?- Oh, or maybe it was the other way around! You left your number on her cheque and just waited. That’s cute.. So. _fucking_. Cute,” Emma commented before she snapped once more and threw the phone with enough force that it shattered, completely splitting the poor thing in half. Ciara flinched because there was nothing she could say to stop Emma. She was afraid of her right then and there. And in all honesty- who wouldn’t be.

Emma, for her part just cracked her neck and went for her shoes. She shoved her feet into them and began to move around the room before she grabbed up her duffel.

“Where are you going?” Ciara chanced asking and Emma laughed.

“What do you care.. You can fuck your girlfriend into oblivion without me interrupting now.. And you might wanna clean up the roses under the bed.. It’s a bit tacky, don’t you think?”

“Emma wait!”

“Wait? For What?! For you to get your shit together? For you to admit you cheated on me? For you to realize I wanted to propose to you tonight? That I had plans of asking you to be my wife and you just fucked that right up? Wait on what, Ciara? On _what?_ ” she spits venomously and Ciara, you’d expect her not to be able to look any sadder than she already does, but somehow, even Emma feels for her. In all this mess, Emma still feels for her.

“You were going to propose?” she asks in disbelief and Emma rolls her shoulders.

“That doesn’t matter anymore,” she tells her in response before moving to get her other duffel bag. She slings them both across her shoulder and begins leaving the bedroom. “I’ll come get my stuff tomorrow,” Emma relays before she bends to give Hydra a scratch on the head he’d been waiting for, for a good minute now. “Bye, Hydra…” Emma trails off before she pulls the picture keychain off of her ring and drops it on the counter. Ciara just lets her leave because there are so many reasons she couldn’t ask her to stay. Beg her to stay.

There was nothing that could be said that would make Emma rethink her actions, or play ignorant to the pain she was going through.

 

Absolutely nothing.

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

 

Nights like these were always busy. Most people got paid on days like this and others just wasted their money on the frivolous things in life. Like prostitutes and beer. Sadly, she was one of the latters of the group. The ‘prostitute’ per say. Funny that, she wasn’t even considered one, not by her standards at least; and yet- regardless of how many people she could argue that point with and how many of the girls even came to her defense on that, once you worked a corner, you were nothing but a prostitute.

But she wasn’t just any kind. No. Regina was what was known as a special order. One, the young lady was fresh meat in the world of possible disease and prison time, and yet, she performed like she’d known how to do this from she was born. She performed like she’d _been_ in the business and she was only 23. Her backstory, was a bit more than rough as most people would describe it, but few knew of her and knew of her pain, and so most people just saw a pretty young face, and a beautiful woman with an enigmatic smile who dominated her craft. Now, initially when Regina had begun working for BAR- yes, the place was literally named bar, very cliché- she was one of the barhands. She was a bartender and she was doing her job. The pay grade was a little under belt and the tips seemed mediocre, but she remained within this field because she couldn’t afford to get any other job. The bookstore job at her college went out when she could no longer afford college. She barely had more than her high school degree and had to drop out of college when it really got rough on her. BAR became an avenue where she could work and earn some cash that was a cut above a Barista’s pay. Her training had gone smoothly and she was positive she’d be keeping that job long enough to hopefully begin saving and getting a better headstart on paying her rent that was in the rears because it’d accumulated over the course of five months, but she’d hit a roadblock when the owner of BAR flat out told her, either she gets on the corner and works, or she’s fired. He only threatened because he realized how pretty she actually was and how much more money she could make him, selling herself rather than his liquor. Now most people would say she of course had a choice to leave and could get another job easy, but jobs in Boston weren’t as easy as flipping pancakes. They came few and far between. Most often, they didn’t come at all unless you had some sort of working favour like good looks or experience. Regina had good looks of course, and experience- oh you bet, but most of that would be taken for granted by her preying bosses, both male and female.. And so, she accepted her fate. She started working the corner.

Fate twisted itself in her favour once more though when she began working and the head of the operation noticed how shy and pretty much, frazzled the young woman was.

 _Ruby_. Robin’s right hand and co-owner of BAR. Oh, right! Her boss’s name was Robin and he was pushing his late fifties as Ruby seemed to be pushing her late thirties. And yet, she never looked older than her early twenties. It was enviable. But Ruby had a soft spot and a burning core for Regina that made her take the girl under her wing and figure out a way to keep Regina’s sanity in tact, all whilst ensuring Regina never had to sleep with a customer. Ever.

Hence, why they call her a special order.

 

Regina was the girl who dealt with all the kinks that the other women couldn’t stand and couldn’t bare to do. The spankings, the men who wanted to be treated like babies, the ones with foot fetishes and so on. She was the one who was on call for guys like this and on pretty much any night of the week, you bet your ass they were paying $200 per session and that was just for the hour. But that $200 also depended on the kink that was involved as well because some clients only paid $100 if they just wanted a quick spank me session. Sadly, the only benefitting that Regina got from it was the fact that she never had to deal with a man intending on putting his penis inside of her. That much she was grateful for but financially… Robin was the only one benefitting. He was selling them out for high prices and they got small returns as a result. Having to earn a base of $400 just to earn twenty five bucks was a crack act. It was damn near impossible, and that expectation was set highly on top of Regina’s shoulders…. but Ruby always watched out for them. She’d sometimes tell them to keep the extra thirty they earned or even take money from Robin’s stash he thought she didn’t know about that he gambled with and shoved a couple bills in their hands. And for as much as Regina would have taken it, she had guilt riddling her frame and most often than not, she turned down Ruby’s gifts. Even still, the older woman kept an eye out for Regina, and since she was pulling herself from the game to better monitor the girls, Regina picked up all of Ruby’s old clients. Ruby herself was one of those special order girls and God did Regina see why that was. Her legs were long and pale, but smooth and her eyes were intense. Her stance was always predatory and the way she could command anyone’s attention was erotically intriguing. Regina had to admit it to herself more than once, she had a really big crush on Ruby and Ruby knew that. It’s why it played to her advantage. That’s how she could always ensure Regina would go with her to lunch or how she knew she could just plant a kiss on Regina and the woman would take it. That’s how Ruby knew that she could suck at Regina’s pulse point and hear a guttural moan leave her body with the way she needed the pleasure and had been consistently denied it for whatever reason. But were they dating? No. And that’s because Ruby had …..well, she had some connection to Robin. A sort of… stuck with you til we die sort of promise. She was his right hand more than his fuck buddy and that’s due in part to the fact that he slept with a different woman, every night- most times he’d forget whether or not he’d used protection. She wasn’t for that and it showed.

All the other women on the corner kind of envied Regina. They had to go through hours of pleasureless sex with men whilst Regina pretty much got to beat the shit out of some of them and take her frustrations out on a lot of them simply because that’s what they requested. Still, it surprised the majority of them how she managed to turn on that dominating demeanor, but that was a secret Ruby had taught her. Somehow, it worked because when it was time to work and Regina was within four walls with her client, chains and whips did excite.

 

 

Call and Answer was always live with life and cars constantly slowing down. Men wolf whistling at the women strutting their stuff and most stopping to bargain on prices for sexual favours. Regina was usually stood off in the corner and most, if not all the men by now knew she was the special order doll. You did not get to touch. You could only look. Your request had to be a fetish and your penis better stay locked away in your pants unless otherwise commanded. Ruby watched as the girls got picked up, nearly one right after the other. They all knew the rules and were all packing. She’d ensured these women had protection, both sexually and physically. Pepper spray, pocket knives, condoms- you name it and Ruby ensured they had it. She would assess their purses before they left and made sure they kept up with their one class on how to take down someone who may be larger than you or intends to hurt you. They may not have been her children and some of those women may have been older than her, but at the end of the day, they were her girls. She was responsible for these women and the profession may have been frowned upon and condemned, but they had to make a living too and they also needed to be safe doing it.

She hung back, watching as a car rolled up. She recognized that car. Always and forever will love going in that car. She’s seen some of her best nights in that car and now, Regina was in that car. It belonged to one of Ruby’s old clients. A very old gentleman who usually just wanted an escort for the evening. He was married but his wife had been cheating on him for years now apparently and rather than divorce her, he’d figured he’d do the same. Because that’s what the golden rule said to do, right? Right. Anyway, he was sweet, almost all the time unless he had a rough day and he didn’t look like he was seventy, even though he was. He was also oddly awkward in the friendzoned kind of way, but it was endearing. His tinted out Buick rolled up to park and shortly after, a black Mercedes, equally tinted, rolled up behind him. Ruby watched for a second as Regina exited and turned to wave at the older man. She seemed alright. She didn’t look anymore degraded than she usually felt having to come to that job every night and that was something Ruby mentally found to be worth it. Regina bent down and reached back into the car, getting the money that Mister Stevens was handing her before Ruby heard muted discussion that sounded like he adored her already. Who the hell was she kidding, Regina was and is cute as hell. She’s tiny and she’s shy and…. Her body, Good Lord was it something to admire. Regina then shuts the car door and sticks the money in her purse before Mister Stevens drives off. He must’ve really had a good night with Regina if he hadn’t bothered to turn back and even greet Ruby. She smirked and then caught Regina’s eyes, smiling at the younger woman before nodding that she go over to her spot. Regina followed directions and did as Ruby motioned.

 

 

The car before Ruby had yet to roll down their window and that confused the woman beyond words. Considering she couldn’t see in the car, she wasn’t sure if someone had a gun on them and was pointing at one of the women, ready to shoot, or if the person didn’t know what the hell they were doing to begin with, but this car was taking up space for other potential buyers and she didn’t need that. So, with all the sass she had, and attitude she already obtained from her younger days, Ruby went over to the car and knocked on the window a bit harshly, immediately getting the person to roll the window down. Her eyebrow quirked as she spoke.

“What are you here for?”

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Emma honestly did not know where she was going. She had no idea where she even wanted to go, all she knew was that she needed to get away and do it fast. She wanted out of Ciara’s space, out of that area- just..out completely and the only way for her to do that, was to drive. So, she drove, just as that velvet ring box she could feel had been burning a hole in her pocket as she continued to drive, she pulled it out and tossed it into the backseat. Her scoff sounded petulant at best, but what was anyone expecting of her. Hell, what was she expecting of herself? Maturity? Not at this rate. Not when the woman she thought loved her all that time, didn’t deem their relationship worth shit if she’d been fucking some rando for six months straight. None of that mattered enough for Emma to deduce that she needed to be mature about anything anymore. She’d barely thought of anyone else, but Ciara. Because all she wanted to do was get home to Ciara and then Ciara went ahead and did this shit to her. Her own mother and father didn’t even know she was back in Boston and that was saying something. That was saying a whole lot more than she could ever put in words. So close and yet.. So far.

Her mind ran a mile a minute and it showed when she kept taking half ass turns all over the place. She knew where she was going, but in the same token, she _didn’t_ know where she was going so that kind of fucked with her. Emma knew Boston like the back of her hand, but she didn’t know the back-back of Boston. The back streets where you might get shot if you ride through too slow, or the area where the undesirables lived. But for the most part...Boston was Boston. Full of life, even if it was from a helping hand called Mary Jane and her cousins cocaine and antidepressants. Coupled with the alcohol that was available pretty much all day every day and you had a walking Everything’s Anonymous meeting. Red lights switched over, Green lights switched over, Amber lights switched over and Emma found herself riddling off something she’d learned from her childhood.

“Red light says stop. Green light says Go- Yellow light says SLOW DOWN!” she’d sang a little, finding herself laughing at the childish manner of it..and then randomly she began crying as she took another turn and just couldn’t keep fucking driving. She pulled her car up to a curb and parked it, not knowing where the ever living fuck she was and quite frankly, she did not give much of a damn either.

All she knew is that she must’ve been out of it long enough for someone to notice because she soon heard a banging against her window and looked up. The woman she could see, looked a bit unhappy with her already and so, she rolled her window down and swallowed. Emma watched the woman quirk an eyebrow at her and speak.

“What are you here for?” she asked and Emma was wholeheartedly confused.

“Huh?”

“You stopped in the front of a prostitution corner. What are you here for?” the woman repeated and Emma balked.

“Wait- I didn’t.. I don’t… what?” she asked again because even she was still surprised by her own dilemma. The woman before her sighed. She then squinted.

“You’ve been crying,” she notices and Emma quickly attempts to wipe it away but the woman smiles a bit sadly at her.

“Sorry.. I just.. Found out some shitty news and I didn’t know where I was going. In all honesty, I don’t know where I am now,”

“BAR..or if you’re trying to figure it out location wise. You’re at the corner of Call and Answer,” Ruby smirks darkly and Emma can’t help but blush and look away. She swallows as she looks ahead, over her steering wheel at one of the women getting into a car and it speeding off…. And then, Ruby sighs. “Listen kid, if you want a good time, I need to know now. But if you don’t.. You’re gonna need to move that beautiful car of yours because you’re blocking it from other buyers,” she said and Emma then looked over at her.

“I’m sorry, I just… I’ve never done this- I mean, not that I’m looking, but like… how does it work.. I mean.. Umm, is there just someone I can.. You know- talk to?” Emma asked and Ruby’s eyebrows shot to her hairline with disbelief.

“You just want someone to talk to?”

“ummm, yeah. Is that as pathetic as it sounds?” Emma asks dejectedly.

“Well.. no, but don’t you have friends?”

“I do but they’re all over the place and or married or with child and I just.. Can’t stress them out with my own shitty life,”

“Right,” Ruby says before tilting her head back. “Based on your car, your life isn’t shitty,” she says and Emma swallows.

“Yeah, not like that,”

“Uhuh… alright, look, I can set you up with one of my girls, but it starts at $80 an hour and $50 for every other hour you tack on to that, got it?”

“Yeah.. I got it,” Emma answered and Ruby nodded before turning.

“Hey! Short stop- you’re up!” Ruby shouted and Emma at first didn’t really look at the group of women she was referring to because she was busy pulling her wallet from her pocket. Ruby turned back to see Emma handing her a straight, crisp hundred dollar bill and she eyed it oddly. “Oh no, honey, you don’t pay me. You pay my girl here,” she informs and Emma retracts her hand before she sticks it and her wallet back into her pocket. Emma still couldn’t see the woman’s face because the level of the car in comparison to where they were standing had made that harder. What she could tell just by physical appearance was that this woman was small, almost deathly so. It wasn’t that she looked sick in the slightest, she was just very petite, almost as if you’d be afraid to have rough sex with her and that mattered a crap ton to Emma.. not that she wanted to sleep with this woman but if she ever dated a woman that tiny, she’d be afraid she’d break her. “Alright doll baby, you’re up. This is your last one for the night and then you go home, got it?” she’d asked and the smaller woman nodded. Ruby smirked before pulling her in a planting a kiss on her lips that made the woman weak in the knees before she pulled away and let her turn towards the car. “Have fun tonight, alright?” she asked before palming her ass and the woman flinched, more from the pleasure of it than the pain. She nodded again and Ruby opened her car door so she could get in. Emma didn’t know what she was expecting, but holy fuck this one was gorgeous.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“Short stop, you’re up!” Regina heard Ruby yell for her and she huffed gently as she pushed off of the wall and fixed her scarf around herself better. Her dress was one of her bests. It was tight in all the right places and it never made her look cheap, granted it was one of the dresses Mister Stevens had bought her, and she figured she’d put it to good use for the night considering this _was_ her night-life now.

“Good luck, baby cakes,” Isabelle teased but it was all in good fun. Regina smirked before she walked closer to where Ruby was, noticing the tagging on this car was a very high priced one. Sleek and black, but it could use with just a bit of cleaning, and yet, Regina hadn’t seen this one before. She’s nearly positive she’s dealt with all of Ruby’s past clients, but this one was new.. Unless they weren’t.

By the time Ruby kissed her, palmed her ass and had passed her bag off to her, Regina was dazed as she sat in the car that smelt of vanilla and fresh sex.. The good kind at that. She kept her head straight though, that was until Ruby and the client began talking and she just had to look, even if it was out of the corner of her eye.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“Listen to me, and listen to me carefully,” Ruby began. “She is a special order and that means you do not have sex with her, you barely even get to touch her. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yeah.. totally,” Emma nodded.

“No- no. I need to know you get this. You’re her last client for the night and she’s done. Got it?”

“I got it,”

“Good. Because if you don’t- pictures of your missing body’ll start showing up should anything happen to her- you got that?”

“I.. yeah- I got it, “Emma swallowed thickly only to see Ruby smile at her like she didn’t just threaten her.

“Good, now take care of my girl. She’s a real sweetheart,” Ruby continued and Emma nodded. “You got everything, right?” Ruby then asked Regina and the brunette nodded shyly. “Alright.. Go on then,” she said to them and Emma made sure Regina had buckled up before she began driving. For the first three minutes of the ride maybe, they were both silent, deathly so.

“Soo umm.. What’s your name?” Emma asked and Regina looked up at her before she turned her head down and reached into her purse. Emma bit her tongue because she thought she may have already messed it up. _Do you even ask prostitutes their names?_ she’d wondered, but as she came to a stop, she saw Regina’s phone screen out the corner of her eye. “R-,” she squinted. “Oh.. Regina.. Hmmm, your parents named you Queen,” Emma smiled and saw Regina blush just slightly. “So, Regina.. Where do you wanna go.. Where do I take you- I mean. I’ve never done this before, so you’re gonna have to help me a little,” Emma joked and watched the brunette type out yet another string of words after she shrugged.

_What was your request?_

“My request? Oh- you mean what I signed up for.. Umm, nothing. I just asked her for someone to talk to and she called you over. She said something about paying you directly. $80 for the first hour and then $50 for every hour after?” the blonde had asked and Regina nodded. “Soooo, does that mean we can go anywhere I want or does that just mean I’m paying for whatever happens?” she queries but Regina’s kind of grinning at her almost and she turns red. Regina types something else out on her phone.

_It means that whatever your request is, we will do it.. Though, I don’t talk very much._

“Ahh, I get that. Is that a shy person thing or something?” she then asked and Regina bobbed her head in a ‘sort of’ fashion. “So, I got the shy girl for the night… I mean, that _IS_ the reason you aren’t like- talking right? You’re not.. You know- mute or anything are you?” Emma further questions but Regina doesn’t answer her right away. And when Emma thinks it’s because she’s done something wrong, but it’s more so because Regina’s off on a tangent of a thought. Emma, for all intents of rectifying the situation, puts a hand to Regina’s thigh and the woman looks at her immediately before smiling and shaking her head… _That must be her answer to my question_ the blonde concludes before she too is smiling back. “Is that apart of some kink for you and your clients? You don’t talk or you barely talk and you just dominate their lives?” Emma asks and Regina sputters to hold in her laughter, causing the blonde to laugh along as well. “There we go- making progress with the beautiful woman tonight,” she grins before making a few more turns and speaking again. “Are you hungry?” Emma then asks and Regina tilts her head before she nods lightly. “Cool. Do you want a burger or something? McDonald’s- Wendy’s.. Anything?” Emma asks and Regina shakes her head. “Huh… do you not eat fast food?” she then asks and Regina types out her answer.

_I’ve never had fast food._

_“_ Like in your life?” she queries and Regina shakes her head yet again, the innocence in her eyes was something to behold. “Crap… Is that why you’re so tiny? You don’t eat .. like anything at all that’s fattening.. Because if you’re around me, you’re gonna need to eat, and I mean actual food. Not air……” she tells the brunette and Emma sees Regina's cheeks tint pink. She’s not sure if she’s just insulted her or made her feel like she was a special someone just now, but Regina not looking at her in that moment was once again, something to behold. It was just something about her quiet exterior, her gentle beauty and the curve of her lips or the softness in her eyes. “Tell you what.. We’ll go to one of my favourite restaurants, I’ll buy you dinner and then I’ll take you home, deal?” Emma offered and Regina seemed skeptical. “What is it?” she asked only to have Regina furiously type out her answer.. Or question.

_What about your request.. You wanted someone to talk to._

“And I have someone to talk to..” Emma combatted but Regina shook her head violently and typed out another response.

_That’s not what I meant.. You obviously wanted someone to talk to about something personal and you’re avoiding it._

“Okay, yeah..so?” Emma asks and Regina’s facial expression is bristled. But Emma just smirks at her before she continues with a soft shrug. “You being here is keeping me distracted from my now past relationship. I don’t wanna think about her or it anymore. I just realized the woman I was hoping to marry was cheating on me for the past six months and may have been for our four years together. That’s not something you talk about with your new friend,” she says before winking at Regina and Regina has no idea what comes over her, but she blushes. Emma is really on her A-game tonight and it shows because Regina’s never felt this at ease, or better yet, this intrigued and interested by any customer, ever. But Emma was a completely different ball game. Emma was just different on the whole. And that was saying alot considering they’d spent only about twenty minutes together. “You never answered me, you know,” Emma commented and Regina looked at her weirdly. “I offered to buy you dinner and take you home after and you never agreed on whether you wanted to or not…” she trailed off, taking yet another turn and Regina nodded with a smile. “Good, because you’re tiny.. Like really tiny and we’re gonna need to put some food in you.. So, you know- eat, okay?”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

True to Emma’s word she pulled up to one of her favourite Italian restaurants. It was the traditional type that served meals with names you couldn’t pronounce without fucking up or swearing. To Emma- Regina looked absolutely cute. She didn’t look cheap in the slightest and even her scarf pulled off a certain, middle class feel to it. She pulled her leather jacket from the back. This one was one of her favourites. Black leather with zippers galore and it was perfectly tailoured to her body. She opened Regina’s door for her and guided her inside. Regina was surprised to see that the place was empty until Emma whispered,

“They’re just about to close and I figured the shy girl might want somewhere not a lot of people might be right now… that and I may or may not be friends with the owner,” she continued and Regina rolled her eyes with that hint of playfulness in there. The waiter took them to a table closest to the back and away from anyone else who might have been in there or had the same thought as Emma.

“Good evening ladies, my name is Michael and I’ll be your server for this evening. Would you like to start off with our house wine. It is a 2000 cabernet, red. Specialty from Genoa, Italy,” he offered and Regina seemed more hesitant and frightened as Emma looked at her with a gentle ease in her eyes before she nodded.

“I’ll have the red.. But I think my date may want a bit of the red and the white.. A nice Pinot would do,” she said and he nodded with a smile before he set the bottle down and went to retrieve the other. Regina looked over at Emma who just shrugged and spoke. “Listen, I brought you out for dinner. Get whatever you want. Don’t look at the price. That stuff doesn’t bother me. Don’t think of this as you on the job. Just think of it as… a date,” she said only to see Regina raise both brows with shock. Emma laughed. “I swear your facial expressions are priceless…” she muttered endearingly and Regina looked away from her, no doubt to hide the blush as she held up the menue. Emma just rolled her eyes and looked at her own.

 

After their server brought the wine back and they placed their order, Regina’s version of that consisting of her pointing at her menue and then making a motion with her hand that she didn’t want the pine nuts-they’d settled into a comfortable quiet.

“Were you always this quiet?” Emma finds herself asking after looking at Regina nurse that one glass of wine for the better part of ten minutes. The brunette looked up at her, a solemn memory crossing her mind before she nodded. “Seriously.. Your whole life?” Emma continues and she nods once more. “Wow…” she whispers, awestruck by the information. “Are you enjoying yourself?” she then finds herself asking and Regina nods eagerly. “Good, I’m glad,” she says before she’s unbuttoning her top button of her very nice dress shirt. Regina types something out on her phone and slides it over.

_You look very lovely in your attire._

“Oh, this.. Well, this was supposed to be the proposal clothing, but that’s no more, “Emma said dejectedly, seeing the way Regina’s face immediately goes sad. “No-no, it was for the best.. Besides, I’m not as mad as I thought I was going to be. Or as sad as I figured I’d be,” she says and Regina nods.

Their food comes shortly after followed by the chef who Emma is such good friends with and he comments that Regina is beautiful, which of course Emma agrees to and then he says that, she’s even prettier than the last girlfriend and both Emma and Regina pretty much choke on their food. After he leaves and they actually get into eating more, Emma notices that Regina pretty much inhaled her food. She barely stopped to breathe and at some point, Emma was watching her and she sensed it. She stopped, looking embarrassed and as if she might cry, but Emma merely smiled at her and asked,

“Is it good?” for which she could do nothing but nod dumbly in response. “Good. I’m glad,” Emma tells her and she sees the genuine joy on Emma’s face. They continue eating until Emma has to use the restroom. After she alleviates herself and is about to sit down, Regina notices an extra.. ‘Leg’ on Emma’s thigh and it bulges into a rather large mass. Emma pauses and looks down at it before back at Regina and swallowing.

“Uhhh.. that’s… Okay, so I was born with.. I have a penis.. There- I said it,” she blurts and Regina chokes back her food and her laughter. Mostly because Emma seemed to be flustered with admitting she was born with a dick. “What?” Emma asked, and now she’s laughing, but Regina shakes her head before typing out a response.

_Nothing, I just .. I was admiring the size, that’s all. I have no qualms about you having.. An extra limb..._

“Pahaa! An extra limb. I like that. And I’m sorry for how I blurted it but you were just looking at me weird. I didn’t know what to do,” she admitted and Regina gave her a soft smirk. “I usually try hiding it, but it’s been tucked all damn day, and I’m tired. I like my skinny jeans too much to go through tucking this bad boy for hours on end,” She now admits confidently and Regina laughs a belly laugh that has Emma smirking and giggling. The cheque comes and with it comes two bags of takeaway plates. Four plates in total and as Emma pays in cash before handing the young man a tip, she calls to the chef and thanks him once more. Mister Benoist is a lovely old man who always sends Emma off with extra food.. And whoever it was she brought to dinner got to carry some too. “Give me one second, I’ll go put these in the car and we’ll go for a walk,” Emma tells Regina who nods and waits. The breeze is picking up and Emma can see that Regina may just freeze if she’s not protected well enough, so, she in a move of chivalry, Emma draped her very warm, leather jacket over Regina’s shoulder and tugged her forward to ensure she’s pretty much encased in it before zipping it up. “There, now they’ll think I’m dating a crazy,” she winked and Regina bumped her shoulder.

 

They walk in comfortable silence; Emma only asking Regina questions every so often and Regina only really asked Emma one question and that was what she did for a living.

“I’m an architect. So I end up travelling a lot. I see a lot of different places and different parts of the world, but nothing fits quite like home, you know what I mean?” she had asked and Regina nodded. “Hey, can I ask you a sort of personal question?” she wondered and Regina tilted her head and nodded almost hesitantly. “You don’t have to answer it if you don’t want to but I kind of wanted to know how much you make? Like, how do you get paid in your line of work?” she’d posed her questions and Regina’s lips twitched as her eyebrows went up in contemplation before she typed out her message and let Emma look at that screen.

_I initially have to make $400 within the evening before I am liable to get paid._

“So wait.. What if you don’t make four hundred a night, what happens then?” Emma had then asked and Regina began typing that answer out. She had to wait about two minutes as Regina tried to properly and in depthly explain how that process worked for them.

_I just don’t get paid.. But in most cases, the base price is dropped to $300 first and if I can make that, then I get paid. If not..once again, I just don’t get paid. If they realize you may be able to make them more money, and by them I mean my boss, not the woman you saw this evening, then they will raise their base price on you specifically. Apparently my pretty face means I should be able to bring in four hundred, easy.. And I can because of my clients, but I don’t get paid very much for it._

“Okay, you know that’s fucked up, right? Like that’s really fucked up,” Emma sounded as if she was complaining and Regina kind of looked away from her before nodding and yawning slightly and Emma laughed. She hated this news, but she couldn’t do anything about it, really. She could only help so much if she did long enough sessions with Regina to warrant her halfway towards whatever shit pay they were giving the young woman.

 

“Come on. Let’s get you home.”

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“So, this is your stop?” Emma asked, just to be sure and Regina nodded. Truth be told. It wasn’t her stop, but Emma had a nice car and Regina lived in a shitty neighbourhood that didn’t look so shitty on the outside, but stay there long enough and your car would end up on blocks. Emma killed the ignition and leaned back in her seat before she began laughing and Regina once again, looked at her weirdly. “Sorry, it’s just, I haven’t had this much.. fun and felt this at ease in a long time and you didn’t even have to talk to get me to do it, or to feel it..thank you,” she says to Regina and the brunette nods with a soft smile before she types out a response.

_I should be thanking you. Tonight was different from most nights I’ve had and that says a lot_

“Well, I’m glad I could do something nice for someone else…. And who knows.. Maybe I’ll see you again sometime when I need someone to talk to?” Emma asked and Regina nodded. “Orrr, you know, for another date,” she teased and Regina scowled playfully at her. “Seriously though.. Thank you, Regina,” Emma said before leaning over and kissing her on the cheek. She felt that spark of electricity run across her skin as she pulled away and looked into Regina’s eyes, and almost as soon as she did so, Regina had managed to push her back against the seat with enough force that it shocked Emma more than it confused her. And just as she felt she wanted to say something, she felt Regina straddle her in that confined space of the car. Immediately Emma’s cock reacted to the friction it was causing and Regina felt a pulse at the apex of her thigh. She internally smirked but her mind was so frazzled with wanting to kiss Emma that she was struck dumb with just staring at her insanely blue-green eyes. She swallowed thickly and so did the blonde and then, their lips were mere centimetres from one another. Regina inched closer and Emma let her, her own fingers twitching at Regina’s sides, looking for that go ahead sort of sign. She was looking for anything that meant she was allowed to touch Regina more than what was currently given. Emma wanted to hold her.. and in so many ways, she wanted to do it. She just couldn’t describe the feeling of it. Regina seemed to be so much closer to her now, and she waited, impatiently before Regina turned her face and sighed gently and pulled away. Her eyes displayed the sorry she couldn’t speak for herself and Emma understood. It would have been more than just because of her job. It would have been something completely unprofessional and she couldn't do that to either of them, and so, she got off of Emma’s lap and Emma got out of her car to rearrange herself and push her now stiffened cock back into her pants before the feeling of blue balls settles in. However, she was unsuccessful and by the time Regina was out of the car and had her bag on her shoulder, Emma had already given up with putting it away. She flinched a little before muttering an apology and pulling out her wallet. Peeling off nearly three hundred dollars, Emma passed it on to Regina. At first, Regina looked as if she didn’t wanna take it but Emma was smiling at her and urging her to, and so she did. She folded it and smiled back before she put it in her bag and they awkwardly waved goodbye to one another.

 

Emma at first just let her go, watching her as she made it about twenty feet before stopping her by shouting her name and the brunette stopped. Emma waved her over and she came back, unsure of what she’d done before Emma was pulling both bags of food out of the back seat of the car and handing them to Regina before winking.

“Those are actually for you,” she told the brunette who looked about ready to be both guilty and argue that she couldn’t take the food but Emma shook her head. “Trust me, I can get more food anytime, and you seemed to love that meal, so I figured you could use a couple more…” she trailed off before pulling her wallet out again and pulling two, hundred dollar bills from it and slipping it into Regina’s top. “That’s for you.. Only for you.. That.. I mean. I don’t know how much you earn a night, but I don’t gather it’s much if you have to give it to someone else.. So, keep the extra two for yourself.. My gift to you for giving me such a wonderful night,” she rambles before quickly getting into the car, not allowing Regina to even deny her the niceness she was offering. She just winked at her once more before she drove off and Regina disbelievingly laughed her way through the sort of okay neighbourhood and towards her actual neighbourhood before she went up the three flights of stairs and towards her apartment. As quietly as she could, Regina got into her apartment and quickly changed her clothes into some sweatpants and a t-shirt before she went to wake the old woman and was met with those bloodshot eyes.

“Your shift over, already?” she questioned and Regina nodded. Granny stood up and stretched her back before yawning deeply and smacking her lips. “He was good this evening. He went down better than he has in the past week,” she recaps for the brunette and Regina smiles at her softly. “You’re behind on your rent again, Regina,” she then says and Regina huffs but nods. “I can only hold him off for so long until he comes banging my door down, demanding I put you out, and I don’t wanna have to do that, but sweetheart, you’re gonna need to think of something. I know you have responsibilities and medical bills to tend to as well, but your home is first priority at this stage,” she says before attempting to exit but Regina manages to stop her and hands her the two hundred Emma had given her earlier. Granny eyes it for a moment before taking it and nodding. “You worked hard for this tonight,” she comments and Regina nods before looking away and nodding. She feels a hand to her shoulder and a squeeze before Granny leaves. Regina sighs as she goes to put the food in the fridge, shut that way too small tv off and head into her room where her bed creaked like fuck and sleep was calling. She climbed in and under before turning over and looking at him. His thick and curly mop of hair covering his little chubby cheeked face. He was peacefully sleeping and enjoying his dream and she could tell because he was smiling. Regina scooted closer to him and draped an arm over him before she began humming and soon found she’d hummed herself to sleep.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Emma got into her hotel room and fell face flat onto her bed. She rubbed at her eyes and unlocked her phone after she’d heard it buzz off. It was her friends, all messaging in their group chat about Ciara’s Facebook post about their breakup. Emma wasn’t for it so she’d simply told them the truth in very simple words.

 _Ciara cheated. I left. That’s all_ and they let that be, which is why she loved them so much. They understood and they knew when not to push a subject, and that was a subject she wasn’t about to push for herself either.

After about an hour of bliss and moping, she’d texted her mom and let her know she was back in Boston and of course that meant she’d be seeing them tomorrow- or rather, today, because that’s how her mother was. PERSISTENT. Especially when it came to seeing her one and only daughter.. Her only child. But right that second, she couldn’t think of her mom or seeing her or her father, Emma wanted to take a shower and hang her clothes up because she’d be staying there for a while anyway.

She pulls out the complimentary robe and orders room service before she hops in the shower and completely submerges herself in the heat. Her cock reacts to pretty much any version of stimuli, so the fact that when she’s washing herself, its sensitivity kicks in, doesn’t surprise her, and Emma no longer denies herself that release because she’s been pushing it off since she met Regina earlier that night and she pushed it waaaay off when Regina straddled her and made the damn thing press against her tight jeans in the most painful way. Emma wasn’t a stranger to giving herself a helping hand and before she knew it, she’d blown her load and started crying simply because the weight of the entire day had finally gotten to her. Everything from Taylor to Ciara to Regina and back round got to her and she’d collapsed in a puddle on the shower floor, cum caking her hand as she continued to hold on to her still spasming cock.

After a while more of her self pity, she cleaned herself up and got out, meeting room service just in time to eat whatever it was she had ordered- she didn’t remember, and passing out soon after.


	3. Redial

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fun and Forgetfulness

It’s almost well into the next morning and Emma feels, well.. Gross. Gross because she masturbated until she cried and just forgot what the fuck happened after that. She’s usually not this emotional at all, over anyone or anything, but Ciara was four years of her life. Four very pivotal years where a lot changed and Emma figured things were finally ebbing out into a nice flow. And then, in comes Taylor. A literal bomb out of nowhere that not only hurt, but really made Emma feel like she just wasn’t worth anything to anyone. Four years of giving this woman everything and asking nothing in return but to be loved for who she was and Ciara couldn’t even give her that. She groaned internally at the thought.

“Mom always said never to put all my eggs in one basket,” she muttered out loud because she could do that. It wasn’t as if there was someone else in the room with her who would judge her or look at her strangely should she go off on a tangent. But she needed to get up, she knew that. She knew she had to do something with her day, even if that meant she was just going to go for a jog and leave life as it were. It was a shitty plan, but it was a plan nonetheless, and Emma was about to make it come true. She rolled out of bed and rubbed at her eyes, annoyed by the feeling of weakness in her thighs as she yanked the curtains open and pushed the sliding door away from its post. Emma stepped outside into the brisk air, and wrapped her arms around herself as she stared on at Boston.  _ Good ole Bean town _ she thought as she plopped into the cushioned sofa that was just waiting to be used. She brought her feet up into the sofa and sighed gently. It was quiet even when it was noisy, but she supposes that has something to do with her being on the fifth floor of the hotel. Down below would be whistling sounds of construction and cars honking their horns, yelling, even faint noises of footsteps, but high up. You didn’t ear any of that. You heard the wind, yeah, but that was mostly it. You heard the quiet, as ironically stupid as the term sounded. You could hear the quiet.

Emma shut her eyes and thought on for a moment.  _ Nothing’s changed, except everything’s changed _ she’d told herself internally, almost laughing at the words, but then- something catches her eye and her eyebrow raising at it is bourne simply of confusion.  _ Where the hell did that come from _ she wonders, staring down at the packet of cigarettes. As far as she remembers, or manages to remember, she didn’t buy any the night before.. Unless she did.

She pauses her questioning for a moment just to reach out and grab the carton, the lighter that lay aimlessly next to it and the ashtray that’s clearly been used. Emma sticks a cig in her mouth and lights it before taking a drag from it and exhaling the familiar scent of nicotine and sadness. Looking as if she might take another, she instead holds it away from her face and just stares at it. Emma observes the way it’s clasped between the skin and bones of her too frail looking fingers, noting she’s one of the lucky few who doesn’t have that yellow staining so common with cigarette smokers. She takes yet another drag and another and another until it’s down to the copper nub. She stubs it out and tilts her head back, exhaling her last breath of warm death.

Her phone rings off in that moment and her head snaps in the direction of the noise. Emma fumbles around to stand before grabbing her phone and swiping right.

“Hello?” she answers, less than enthusiastically.

“Well, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you didn’t  _ want _ to talk to your mother,” Mal had told her and Emma groaned.

“Moooom,” she whined. “Sorry.. Things just… you know, they happened,”

“Things like?” her mother pushed and she sighed.

“Things along the lines of Ciara’s been cheating on me and I met her new girlfriend last night in the apartment.” Maleficent shook her head with a heavy sigh to accompany it.

“I told you that girl was no good for you,” she’d reminded and her daughter groaned once more.

“Mom, seriously- I don’t need the I told you so right now. It was four years, I thought she was the one, you know?”

“I understand that, but you knew as well as I did that Ciara wasn’t much past a bedmate. She wasn’t made to marry you-,”

“-okay, mom. I get it.. I know that now. I mean the ring’s probably going to catch dust in the backseat of my car, but whatever,” she muttered and Emma heard her mother choke, more than likely it was on her tea. She snickered as her mother, she could sense- was scowling. “Sorry,” she apologised genuinely. 

“You were going to propose to her?” her mother recapped and Emma made a sound akin to a groan.

“I was, yes,” she confirmed.

“ _ Emma-,” _

“-Mom, don’t...please,” she begged and Mal huffed.

“Fine… so, you got in last night?” she’d then asked and Emma hummed.

“Yeah, last night. Eric and Ariel picked me up from the airport,”

“And where are you now?”

“At the hotel,” she told her and her mother sighed. “What now?”

“When are you going to get an apartment of your own, Emma? I mean you can afford it right?” her mother asked even though they both knew Emma could afford many apartments, some twice over. She rolled her eyes.

“Mom, I already told you. It doesn’t make sense for me to have an apartment if I’m barely going to be here to live in it,” she says.

“It’s still good to have some place to call home…”

“Boston itself is my home. The neighbourhood I grew up in and the friends I’ve made are my home. The college I attended and my job are my home. I don’t need some physical structure to remind me of that,” she combatted. “Besides, you and dad always said that I could come back at any time and just live with you. Dad said the house was mine anyway,” she grinned and heard her mother sigh once more. “I met someone last night,” she’d then found herself telling her mother and Mal immediately perked up at that.

“Ohhh?” she queried, clearly interested.

“Yeah, it was.. A bit unconventional, but…”

“ _ But? _ ” her mother prodded.

“She’s beautiful,” Emma smiled. Maleficent laughed.

“Not to make you sound like you sleep with anyone who walks, but Emma… are you over Ciara already?” her mother teased and she rolled her eyes.

“No mom, it isn’t like that. I just needed someone to talk to  _ about _ Ciara. She was available and she was available last night when I needed her.. She’s just really shy and quiet,”

“Mmmmm, be careful of women like that, they tend to have the most secrets,” her mother warned.

“I get that, but she’s different,”

“Emma, think with your head, not the penis you were born with,” her mother reminds her and she groans loudly.

“Will you ever not use that in your jokes?”

“No, because it’s good that I get to rub it in. My daughter thinks like a man. Through her penis-,”

“-okaaaay momma. I got it. Jeez,” Emma laughs. Mal shrugs.

“So.. tell me about this new woman in your life.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Mid afternoon couldn’t come any faster and it was annoying to say the least. Regina had barely been able to sleep the night before simply because she ended up waking at an odd hour to whimpers that sounded very troubled. That didn’t upset her. She was more than willing to wake up and soothe, but it was after the fact that caught her. Her mind had drifted to Emma and the amount of money that woman had spent on her in one evening and if Regina could calculate it, she’d have the money to pay off her backed up rent. But she was meeting with Ruby in a little while and she needed to call Granny to come and watch him. 

He required so much attention, attention she wishes she could give him day in and day out, but she always had to be gone by five in the afternoon to work that back end job that took more of her dignity than anything else. The second she was out of the bed, she’d pulled on a sweatshirt and some slippers before she made her way over to Granny’s apartment at the end of the hall. Regina knocked once and then knocked again before the old woman answered and looked at her knowingly.

“Only because you’re trying to do the right thing in this world,” she’d muttered but the hint of a smile was there as Regina nodded at her gratefully. She’d tried offering her money for helping but Granny always seemed to refuse it. She claimed she was getting good company out of the deal and that she didn’t need the extra money anyway. Regina then made her way back to her own apartment before checking in on him and going to take a shower. By the time she’d finished, he was awake and he was staring at her with eyes of ember. They were so beautiful. They were so unique.. They were so…  _ his _ .

She sighed as she walked over to him, smiling and kissing his sleep pressed cheeks and brushing his hair from his face. He continued to look at her, almost as if he didn’t know her, but as his moment of being completely in a daze passed, so did the look he gave her. It was replaced with one of affection. A smile so bright, it was the only reason she continued to sell herself. Literally. After they’d both been dressed and had eaten, Regina dropped him off at Granny’s apartment. Most times, Granny would have him until the sun fell, at her apartment and then take him back over to Regina’s simply because he had a comfort level of zero if he had to sleep where the old woman was.

She grabbed up her messenger bag and her keys before locking the place up and giving him a kiss goodbye on her way to the stairs. She could take the elevator, but she had a sneaking suspicion it just might pick that day to go haywire. Besides that, it was a good work out, as if her having to walk pretty much everywhere wasn’t already a workout.

 

Regina managed to make it to the coffee shop she was meeting Ruby at in around thirty minutes. Ruby had a prior engagement that meant she wouldn’t be able to pick Regina up, so, the brunette walked. It was a good enough day to walk and soon after she’d have to switch out of her ‘uniform’ into her party girl dress. She still had one of her old shirts from a coffee shop she’d worked at as a teen. One she was more than likely positive was closed by now, and a pair of jeans and sneakers. Granny never suspected she was anything but a barista. Either that, or she never implied she knew more than what Regina was clearly trying to hide. Regina found a table and sat. She and Ruby were ‘regulars’ at this coffee shop, so- the waitress on hand never had to give them a menue. They almost always ordered the exact same thing every time. And Ruby was sure to pay for both of them, all the time. As she waited for their order to come, Ruby arrived, apology on her lips as she took her coat off and sat. 

“I know- I know. I’m late. Robin was asking me stupid questions about the last girl he slept with, like I’d know,” she said, rolling her eyes. Regina looked at her and had to wonder why Ruby stayed with a man like him. Why she would subject herself to being with someone who couldn’t and clearly wouldn’t be faithful to her? Was it just money or the safety of it? What was the point of them being together? What did he have that made Ruby come back like a glutton for punishment, over and over and over again? She rummaged around in her purse and tossed the money onto the table and sat back, arms folded as Ruby counted it out, counted it again and then just pulled a few bills from the bunch and handed her pay over. Surprisingly, Ruby had given her $130 dollars and she was confused as to why, considering she knew what she made last night and she initially would only get about $50.  “What’s the matter?” Ruby had asked Regina, but the young brunette merely shook her head. Ruby squinted at her. “Something’s wrong. You wouldn’t be looking at me like that if something wasn’t wrong,” she concluded and watched as Regina shrugged lightly, looking down at the table and then over at the salt and pepper shakers on the table. Ruby reached out and took Regina’s chin in her hand before making the woman look at her. The waitress came with their food and drinks, looked at their interaction before Ruby gave her a smoldering look and she just shook her head and left. It looked a bit like Ruby may have been being too rough with Regina, but everyone there knew better than that. “Hey-,” Ruby began in an almost hissed whisper. “-what did I tell you about eye contact?” she asked just before Regina pulled her face from her grasp. Regina had an issue with maintaining eye contact with most people because of how shy she was and everything that’s happened in her life and Ruby had been trying to break her out of that habit for as long as she could remember. The young brunette scowled at her, looking pained...and jealous. “What are you so mad about?” she questioned, and Regina- for all her stubbornness, wouldn’t answer. Ruby sighed, stood from her seat and went to Regina’s side before pulling the woman’s chair out and getting on her knees. She made Regina look at her once again before she spoke. “Baby’s jealous,” she concluded with a gentle smile but Regina just huffed at her, arms folded before her. “Hey-come on, now. You’re seriously jealous of Robin?” she asks only to have Regina look away from her again. “Okay...alright, I won’t talk about him anymore, then. Good enough?” she offered. Regina’s lip twitched and Ruby grinned before she leaned in and kissed her cheek. “Seriously, there’s no need to be jealous of him. The guy’s a walking disease,” she laughed and Regina smirked just slightly. Ruby kissed her on the lips this time before she was sat in her seat once again. She watched Regina type out her message on her phone before sliding it over a little bit aggressively. Ruby picked it up and read it over.

_ And yet you still go back to him. I wonder why. _

Ruby sighed. “I told you already. Robin and I have been together for years. You don’t just let something like that go,” she tells her only to have her scoff. “What?” she asked but Regina just picked up her cup of coffee and sipped. “Regina,  _ what _ ?” Ruby pushed but Regina rolled her shoulders in response and looked away from her. “Hey.. look at  _ me _ ,” she’d then said and it was pleading. Regina looked at her. “You know I love you, right?” Regina hesitated for a moment but then she nodded. “And you know that in this state, I’m no good for you, right?” another nod. “Good, so you know that if I could, in any way, shape, or form- give you what you deserve, I would. But I can’t…” Regina paused. She looked at Ruby for all she was and then looked down at her cup of coffee before nodding again. Ruby smiled sadly. “Listen to me. You’re not  _ supposed _ to fall in love with your boss, you know that,” she told her and Regina tapped out a message.

_ You’re not my boss..  _ **_You_ ** _ know that _ she combatted. She hadn’t denied she’d fallen for her, but they both knew where the attraction lay. They weren’t in love, but there was love there.

“I get that, but still. You should be looking for someone else who isn’t involved in this mess. Look, you are too good not to want to be with, but even the most messed up people know not to go after the good people of the world. Besides, I have a wandering eye,” she added with a laugh and Regina rolled her eyes before she finally looked at Ruby like she wasn’t upset with her. “I’ll always love you, you know that. But you and I are two different people, doll face,” she had concluded but Regina was quick to argue that point.

_ We aren’t.. But arguing with you is futile.. Why did you give me so much money? _

“Huh.. it’s your pay. You earned it,” she said but Regina shook her head, typing out another response.

_ No I didn’t. I made just under $800 last night. I’m not supposed to get that much back. _

“I told you, what I pay you is different from what Robin pays you. That’s why I’m almost always in charge of what’s being given to you…”

_ It’s unfair, though.. I didn’t earn it. He said I had to earn a specific amount to be paid. _

“Regina, do you really feel that guilty on having an extra eighty bucks in your pocket?” she asked disbelievingly and the brunette nodded immediately. “Why? You think I favour you over everyone else or something?” she questions and at first, Regina doesn’t answer, but then she nods slowly and Ruby rolls her eyes as she sits back. “Okay, maybe I do, but that’s not the point though. You can’t be surviving off fifty dollars every once in a blue moon. Yeah you have my old clients, but not everyone pays two hundred for their session. You know that. And for the amount of work you put into everything you do and how much you have to give for some crap pay in return, isn’t something I agree with. So keep it. You need it more than he does, and more than I do,” she tells her and Regina is on the edge of arguing, but Ruby shakes her head. “Just.. tell me about last night. The mystery woman you went off into the night with,” she changes the subject and Regina blushes.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“You did  _ what? _ ” Maleficent hissed at her daughter and Emma made a noise of fear as she responded.

“I just wanted to do something nice for her,” she tried arguing and her mother groaned.

“Then you buy her a burger. You get her custom jewelry because it’s cheap. You don’t take her to a five star restaurant and blow nearly eight hundred dollars on her just because you wanted to be nice, Emma,” her mother said and she pouted. “You don’t even know her! She’s a prostitute and you just handed her an extra two hundred dollars, just because? When you already payed almost three just for her to sit there and listen to you complain about some no good hussy-,”

“-MOM!” Emma belted.

“Don’t  _ mom _ \- me, young lady,” her mother scolded and she pouted harder. “Who the hell told you that taking a nightwalker to a five star restaurant was a good idea?” she asked and Emma huffed.

“But mom-,’

“-I don’t want to hear the asinine excuse you came up with for your reasoning. She’s a nightwalker- that means she is not privy to things of the day. You are a daywalker, which means you do not associate with those who roam the streets, selling themselves for a carton of cigarettes and their next fix, all for companionship!”

“I know! I know! But, she doesn’t even eat fast food.. She never has actually,” Emma tries and in all this mess, she confuses her mother.

“What?”

“Yeah, she’s never been given the opportunity to eat fast food. Not even as a kid, but mom, I’m serious. She’s really sweet-,”

“-Emma, sweet only applies when you’re paying her next bill-,”

“-she didn’t even want my money-,”

“-that’s how they’re trained to be! She’s supposed to pretend that she enjoyed her time with you so much that it hurts her to take your money,” her mother tells her and she stops.

“How do  _ you _ know that?” she asked and Mal suddenly went silent. “Maleficent Edith Nolan!” Emma called and her mother gasped.

“I told you never to call me by that name, Emma!” her mother shouted and she laughed. Mal had actually hated the name Maleficent.

“It’s not my fault grandma named you after a goddamn dragon,” she muttered. Which was true. It wasn’t Emma’s fault, but Mal had legally gotten her name changed to Mallory and when she’d done that, both David and Emma seemed.. Well, not as receptive to the name as she thought they would be. Emma had grown to love the fact that she could tell the kids at school  _ my mom’s a dragon _ and watch them all ooo and ahhh at her. But now, her mother sounded like the girl next door from the south. Hellbent on being a stay at home, consistently barefoot and pregnant. “Now tell me how you know so much about this.. Did you- oh my God!” she squeaked and her mother immediately jumped.

“No! No-no. Don’t even think about it-,”

“-Oh My God! You had sex with a prostitute before- haven’t you!”

“NO!” Mal boomed but Emma fell over the bed laughing.

“Yes you did. You had sexual relations with that woman,”

“God damn it, Emma. I didn’t!” she burst. “I was dared to pick one up. It was part of the hazing ritual I went through for some some sorority I regret joining to this day. I had to pick up a prostitute and keep her the entire night. And then play that overly childish game of seven minutes in heaven… To put it simple. I did with her what you did with your ‘date’ except I took her for a burger instead and talked to her about her job.  _ That’s _ how I know about things like that…” she admitted and Emma went solemn. She sighed.

“So.. you didn’t do anything with her at all?”

“No… I did, but I made sure she got tested first and I did the same.. You’d be surprised to know she’s a doctor now… unlike you, I didn’t waste nearly someone’s mortgage on a woman you may never see again,”

“But you just said your woman turned into some awesome doctor. How am I not supposed to justify why my money was blown that fast… besides.. She’s different,”

“You keep saying that, and yet, nothing about her sounds different…”

“She’s a special order, mom,” Emma continued and Mal went quiet for a while. “Exactly. She.. she’s a kinkmaster pretty much, and all she wanted to do was let me air out why I was so upset and sad. She just wanted me to talk and she looked guilty the entire night just because it’s like someone never took the time to spend that much money on her. Mom, I watched her laugh like I’ve never seen someone laugh, last night. She’s not on any drugs and that’s obvious, but she’s extremely small and I think it’s just because she doesn’t make enough to eat… I just wanted to do something nice for her. I know I may never see her again and maybe it was just a well needed chance encounter, but she made me forget everything there was to forget about Ciara. And she didn’t get disgusted by the fact that I have an.. Extra limb as she calls it,” the blonde recalls and her mother snorts.

“She sounds…”

“..nice?” Emma asked and her mother sighed.

“Yes, but that’s no excuse for you to waste your money on her… You shouldn’t be travelling with that much money on you to begin with-” she managed before Emma’s phone beeped. Emma sighed.

“Mom.. hold on. It’s my boss,” she said before switching over. “Hello?”

“Emma?” Mister Jones called and Emma hummed.

“Hi Mister Jones, need something?”

“No. Just calling to ensure you got in safely and that the hotel is up to standard,” he said and she shook her head with a soft smile.

“It actually is beyond even my expectations, sir… but you didn’t have to do this,” she reminds him.

“Nonsense. You are my best architect, making your life comfortable is important to me and I have a very good relationship with the owners. This is apart of your contract, Emma. Reap the benefits you deserve…” he told her and she nodded.

“Thank you, Mister Jones,” she said and he laughed.

“You’re welcome. Keep an ear out, I may need to call you for another project very soon,” he tells her and she laughs.

“I will,”

“Very well. Have a good evening, Emma,” he said.

“You too, Mister Jones.” They hung up and Emma switched back over. “Hey mom, you still there?”

“Of course,”

“Good.. Mister Jones was just checking in. I might have to leave again pretty soon though, apparently there’s another project in the pipelines…”

“Well, before you do that- come visit your parents, would you?” Mal posed and Emma snorted.

“Sure mom.. I’ll come see you later today, okay,”

“That will work.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

 

“Wait, she gave you an extra two hundred just for you to have?” Ruby asked with a grin slowly splitting out across her face. Regina nodded as she scratched out a note on the napkin and slid it over.

_ I had to pay rent, so I don’t have it anymore _ it said and Ruby nodded.

“You behind on it again,” she commented and Regina sighed but nodded. “Is it bad?” she asked and Regina snorted. That meant yes. “Well, that extra should help bring it down, right?” she had then asked but Regina shook her head. She scribbled out another message.

_ Hospital bills and groceries, but I don’t think I can even afford groceries at this rate _ . Ruby huffed.

“That’s rough,” she had concluded and Regina tilted her head back before she nodded yet again. “I don’t know why you just won’t let me help you, or pay you extra like I want to. I mean, what the hell are you going to do with fifty dollars? Just take the extra eighty, seriously,” she told her before tossing it onto the table once more and Regina eyed it before she shook her head. “Please- for me?” she begged lightly and Regina looked like she wanted to complain so vocally, but she couldn’t. And so, she took the money and stuck it into her messenger bag. She reached over and scribbled onto the napkin once more before she slid it back over to Ruby and the older woman looked down at it.

_ Do you want to hear about how sweet she was to me, minus the fact that I’m officially broke beyond broke? _ It had asked and Ruby laughed a gut busting laugh before she nodded.

“Why the hell not,” she agreed and immediately, Regina started to type out her story response.

That story told Ruby everything, start to finish and if Regina didn’t know any better, she could have sworn she saw a flash of jealousy cross Ruby’s features. She smirked to herself on that one because this was how she felt about Ruby, all the time. With some useless man who couldn’t bother to be faithful to her. Or anything for that reason.

 

After their little get together, Ruby took Regina back to her apartment to check in on some things. As they pulled up, Ruby got out and then Regina followed suit before Ruby rounded the car and looked on at the building. Regina gave her that look. A look she was all too familiar with.

“You know I can’t go in there. That old woman hates me for some reason,” she concluded and Regina snorted because it may have been true. Granny never seemed to approve of Ruby even though Ruby dressed rather modestly when it counted. During the day, she dressed like any normal woman but at night, she donned her long legs and bared her chest to anyone looking, simply because she had to look the part. They all did. Regina still rolled her eyes though before she turned to leave and Ruby grabbed hold of her wrist and pulled her in. She wrapped the other hand around Regina’s waist and brought their lips together for a long enough period that her tongue slipped passed perfectly pouty lips and they battled for dominance. Regina’s core reacted to everything she ever did with Ruby, simply because Ruby never took control from her. She challenged her to prove that she could just as easily have it. And Regina enjoyed that more than anything. She appreciated the gentleness Ruby had when she handled her. The way Ruby held on to her as she kissed her with a sweetness unmatched. Something you wouldn’t expect from a woman so strong and into her own. Ruby loved her, no doubt, but their version of love was petty in a sense that they got jealous of someone else giving the other that bout of affection they were so used to having as theirs. But, in the same breath, that love Ruby held for her was protective and it showed. With every client, with every new girl. With anything they put before her, she thought of Regina’s wellbeing and safety first because there was just something about her. Something that made you go.. hmmmm. 

So, she kissed her back, her body going limp in Ruby’s strong arms because she always managed to take her breath away. That was just their thing. Ruby would pretty much fuck Regina without fucking Regina and that brought a bundle of nerves with resistance, well into the stage of a puddle of goo. Her hand slipped beneath Regina’s shirt, rising up the expanse of her abdomen to cup her breast. Regina could do nothing but groan as Ruby pushed her bra upward and stroked across a hardened nipple before releasing it and allowing her hand to go further down. Her finger slipped into the divot that was Regina’s naval and lightly, she stroked across Regina’s taut, yet sensitive flesh. She could feel the quivering beneath her touch and continued her exploration. Without any warning, her right hand dove beneath the fabric of Regina’s jeans and panties and swiped harshly across her clit, causing the young woman to fidget and whimper. She gasped, pulling away from Ruby’s mouth as Ruby slowly eased out a shuddering moan. She looked at Regina through hooded eyes, her mouth agape as she coaxed the woman further to the edge and she was doing it right out in the open. Regina bit her bottom lip and dropped her head onto the older woman’s shoulder, high pitched pleading escaping in the form of a ragged cry. Ruby slowed her finger dance to a stop and pulled her hand away, looking at Regina’s stricken face. Once again, Regina was at the edge, and yet, Ruby couldn’t go through with it. She always stopped here. Always stopped and looked so pained that she’d started it to begin with. She watched though, the way Regina slowly came down from her high and had opened her eyes to look at the woman before her. She watched Regina grab hold of the realization once again that they wouldn’t be going any further than that. And then Ruby watched that smile Regina always gave her as if she understood, because she did. She always understood. It would be a step too far. It would be a moment you couldn’t turn back time on. It would be a dip too deep into the unknown. But then Regina kissed her and she stopped thinking. Regina gave her the kiss that always meant something, and yet- nothing all at the same time. She would always kiss Ruby as a way of reminding her that it was okay. Or maybe she was just kissing her to tell her she could handle whatever happened. It was unclear to Ruby, who, in most cases knew what to expect from someone. But Regina was different. Regina made you think and double think and think some more. And then she made you think about what the situation would do to her, all without having to pose that question. You ended up posing that question yourself. Searching for the answer by yourself and then realizing, you didn’t want to treat her like some toy. You wanted to give her everything and be her everything. 

You wanted to give her the world on a silver platter and when you realize you can’t, she still understood and that confused Ruby to no end.

“Go on up and tell him I said hi, would you,” she whispered after they pulled apart and Regina nodded. “Do you think you can be ready in ten. I promised Belle I’d come get her.. Unless you wanna change in the car?” she asked and Regina looked up at the building before looking back at Ruby and shaking her head. “You wanna change at work?” she found herself asking and Regina nodded. She usually changed there anyway. Ruby nodded at her and watched her walk away for a moment before pulling her back by the hand and kissing her one more time. She did that signature ass palm and let Regina go.

There will be days when she no longer does this. No longer gets swept up in wanting Regina, not for just wantings sake…. But today wasn’t that day. She’ll start soon, she swears it to herself….

But maybe that day should be tomorrow..or, you know, next year.

 

_ It’ll be my near year’s resolution. _

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Emma honestly thought it was going to be a one off. After she talked with her mom and had suggested it was just a moment in time that she needed to see someone different or whatever it was she philosophically went on about, she figured she may never actually see Regina again. And she didn’t know how she genuinely felt about it, but she knew she was initially supposed to be fine about that fact. And yet, her brain was battling to come to terms with the words.

_ I shouldn’t feel incomplete just because I haven’t seen her. I should be able to still feel fine. It was a one night thing. It’s never going to happen again. I just needed someone to talk to. She was available. I got it all out...I think _ the blonde silently went off on a tangent as she walked around her hotel room to get ready. She was so on her nerves she smoked three cigarettes in less that ten minutes and once she realized she had, she tossed the rest of the carton in the trash.

Emma settled for a white button down and her jacket with some jeans and loafers. She did not tuck her extra limb and instead just let the little fella hang between fabric and thigh. She pulled her hair into a ponytail and grabbed her wallet and keys before she went down to the parking dock and opened the backseat of her car. She tossed her other duffel in the trunk and shoved the ring box into her pocket before she got into the front seat and froze.

_ No _ she thought to herself. It wasn’t possible that this cliché thing happened where Regina left an article of clothing in Emma’s car and now she had valid reason to see her once again, hellbent on returning it, not for returning it sake. She laughed disbelievingly at the scarf that lay haphazardly in the passenger seat of her car. If it had eyes the fucking thing would probably be staring right back at her.  _ Get a grip! _ She blurted in her mind, once again, faced with a dilemma. She shook her head and folded the scarf, catching the waft of cherry that flitted from the material. That scent assaulted her nose in the most pleasant way she could have ever imagined.  _ Shit! _

Emma started up her car and made the distance to her parents’ house. She parked, got out and ran towards the door, shoving her key in and hurriedly twisting the lock before she pushed the door open and rushed into the kitchen. Her mother and father were no doubt, in there, her mother standing at the counter nursing a cup of tea and her father reading the paper. They both looked over at her as if to say…  _ What the fuck was that _ and she sighed and then groaned.

“I would ask what happened, but.. I don’t want to know how much trouble you might be in,” her father told her before turning back to his paper. Emma scowled at him and shook her head.

“I do want to know,” Mal said. “Care to explain why you bull rushed the front door and tore down like Lucifer himself was after you?”

“Because,” Emma said before throwing the scarf on the counter and her mother kept that look as if she was continually asking  _ What the fuck _ ?

“It’s a scarf, sweetheart. I’m not seeing the issue here,” her mother said and she whined.

“It’s not miiiiiiine,” she relayed and her mother snorted.

“And that’s a problem, why?”

“Because.. It’s hers.. You know  _ her _ ,” Emma said with that odd enthusiasm that always caught her father’s attention.

“Oh.. oh! Wait, your prostitute from last night left her scarf in your car?”

“Yeeees,”

“So what-,”

“-You picked up a prostitute last night?” her father chimed in. Clearly that was something you don’t mention around a cop, let alone a cop that’s your father. Emma gave an uneasy smile.

“Well, I kind of sort of didn’t go looking for it, dad,” she tried explaining.

“How does one  _ not _ go looking for a leg for the night?” he poses the question and in most cases, his analogies and whatever else- never made sense.

“Honey, I told you already. That no good-,”

“-mom,” Emma began and Mal huffed.

“Ciara cheated on Emma and our oh so smart daughter here decided she was too emotional to function and managed to wander straight into debatable territory….”

“You seriously got yourself all the way into prostitute town and just went with it?” he asked and she nodded. David dropped his paper.

“She spent nearly eight hundred on her last night too,” Mal added, just for the dramatics and David lost it.

“ON WHAT?”

“Daddy!” Emma whined.

“No, Emma! What the fuck could you have possibly spent that much money on? She’s a nightwalker!”

“Same thing I said,”

“Seriously mom!” Emma shouted. “God! Can you guys just help me instead of yelling at me?! It’s my money anyway,”

“True. But your father and I hoped you’d be one of the few who isn’t frivolous…. “ Mal tacked on and David was standing now... _ when in hell did that happen? _

“I can’t believe you let a hooker take eight hundred from you,”

“She didn’t. I took her to dinner and wanted to make sure she had some extra cash because.. She has to make $400 dollars before she even gets paid.. And since she’s a special order-,”

“-That means kink master,” her mother clarified and Emma rolled her eyes but continued.

“I had to make sure she was okay. Dad, you should have seen her. She’s frail looking. I couldn’t just.. You know,  _ not _ feed her or something-,”

“-But eight hundred dollars, Emma?” he asked and she huffed.

“It’s not that big of a deal. My contracts pretty much quintuple that. I don’t want for anything, you guys know that and she was really sweet to me. I just wanted to give her something she didn’t have to give to someone else. She isn’t strung out on drugs and she doesn’t sleep with anyone. She’s probably the cleanest out of all of them and she just wanted me to get all my frustrations out about Ciara,” she said before falling quiet and her father huffed.

“Why the hell does it sound like you’re in love with this woman, already?”

“I’m not. She’s just nice and I don’t wanna feel guilty for doing something nice for her in return. But now I’m freaking out because I have her scarf and if I go back there.. What if they all think that I came to have some kink fixed, you know?” she asked and her mother snorted, but her father had laughed. He couldn’t do much past laugh.

“You don’t fix a kink, Em,” he told her and she blushed. “Besides, if you’re just returning the scarf like you said, no one will notice you coming or going,” he continued.

“Your father’s right,” Mal chimed in before she set a cup of hot tea before her daughter.  _ When in the hell did that happen?  _ “Unless…. You  _ want _ to see her again,” Mal continued and based on the way Emma did not answer, her confliction was still evident.

“God,” her father muttered before he stared at her, her mother stared at her and she stared at her tea.

“I don’t know,” she admitted honestly. “I mean, I wouldn’t mind seeing her again.. Besides that, I don’t even know where the hell I’m supposed to be going to give this back, anyway,”

“Do you at least remember the street name? The place where you picked her up from?” her father questioned and she shook her head before something clicked in her brain.

“Oh, the bar on the corner was named BAR.. literally.”

“Are you serious?” her father asked and she nodded. 

“What?”

“BAR’s about ten minutes from here if you don’t take the backroads,” her father told her and she shifted in her seat. “That’s on Call and Answer,” he continued before looking at his wife and Mal’s eyes widened. She shakes her head with a snort.

“What now?”

“Nothing, except, Call and Answer is where I was dared to pick up a prostitute and also where I met your father,” her mother told her and she gaped.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

BAR was alive alive. Surprise- surprise. That place had the most idiotically trivial name that it was laughable. All the girls were lined up and waiting to be picked off by clients and new customers. Inside, the new girl- Kelsey, Regina believes is her name, is doing her thing behind the bar. She’s tossing bottles and flipping glasses. Pouring shots and pretty much stripping on the counter just to earn her tips. Robin wouldn’t mind, so long as his money was being brought in. He didn’t care how anyone did it. Regina was leaning against her usual spot of the building, Isabelle- Belle for short and M&M were lighting up cigarettes and talking about the day before. They were comparing how much they earned the previous night to what they could possibly earn that night considering it was a clusterfuck of people. Most specifically, drunk men willing to have some one night stands with anything that walked. Regina looked over their corner, noticing that cars were beginning to come to a halt and who wasn’t going for the bar was coming for the girls. Rita- also known as skittles, for varying reasons, was picked up first. And then went Lisa. She was...special to say the least. Apparently, Lisa was the type who liked it rough. She was the choke me, slap me, fuck me hard kind of woman and the men who came for her, usually came in pairs. She never minded that. A little double penetration was something that kept her libido going. Besides, it would make sex a whole hell of a lot less boring for her. She was also one of them who’s been in the game. Longer than Ruby even, but she never quite figured out how to balance it out enough that she didn’t need to still give a man access to her still tight core- even at the age of almost fifty. And it’s not as if Lisa had any babies like the rest of them most likely did. She didn’t still have small children. Quite the opposite in fact. All of her birds had flown the nest. Every last one of them. And Lisa was pretty successful before she hit this snag in life. But Regina couldn’t judge her. She couldn’t judge anyone. They all fought to survive and they all needed the money and no amount of faith or prayer brought that to them when they needed it most. The others, Corey, Cleo, Lucy, Heaven, Baby Love and a bunch more with questionable street names hadn’t even bat a demeaning eye at her when she was tossed to the wolves and told her body was now only good enough to sell for someone else’s pleasure. They’d tried giving her as much help as they could possibly offer, but ultimately, Ruby got hold of her and kept her afloat long enough until she could do it on her own. But Ruby had done that with everyone else as well, still. Regina knows better than anyone that Ruby ‘trained’ her longer. Ruby insisted it was because of Regina’s entire demeanor that she had to take so many months just to train her, but it wasn’t entirely the truth...and still, to her current days- she’s grateful for it.

“Hey, doll face,” Belle called jarring her from her thoughts. The wind picked up somewhere in all of that and Regina looked over. Belle offered her a cigarette but she shook her head in refusal. “Suit yourself,” she said. She always would say that to her. Always offers Regina something and Regina would decline it with respect. She watched Belle take a heavy drag and exhale.  _ Something must be on her mind _ she concluded within herself because usually, Belle could enjoy her one cigarette for a good five minutes or more. But not now. Now, Belle was practically swallowing it whole and Regina had to wonder how many of them were as behind on rent as she was. How many of them had another person to take care of who couldn’t very well do it themselves for so many reasons. How many of them had loads of hospital bills they couldn’t find the first dollar to, just to pay it back. How many…. It’s always the question of how many and never how much.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

After Mal and David explained to Emma how they met at BAR and Emma was thoroughly convinced her parents were more than a little frisky back in their days, her father gave her visual directions to find the place and had told her with as much fatherly tone as he could manage in his old age, not to fall in love with the hooker. She’d snorted at him at first, but then she’d found that she genuinely feared the thought that she might actually fall in love with this woman, all because of how nice she was to her and how sweet she was that entire night. And then Emma thought about the possibility that it would just be a rebound for her and she hoped like hell that’s not what it was. She knew what it felt like to be someone’s second best. She knew what that felt like to not be someone’s first choice and the thought of Ciara continuously reminded her of that. And as she sat in her car, looking up the number for that place, she had to think why it mattered to her so much that what she may have been feeling for Regina wasn’t as a result of residual pain from her relationship that ended less than 24 hours prior.

She found the number for BAR and called, waiting as it run once, twice and a third time before someone picked up.

“BAR,” the young woman said and Emma cleared her throat.

“Hi, is this the place on Call and Answer?” Emma asked and the woman hummed.

“That it is. Need something?” she asked and Emma hesitated.

“I umm… I-uhh,” she began but stopped. “Sorry,” she apologised and the young woman laughed gently.

“You’re fine. Are you calling about the menue- drink prices- for the boss, for someone here-,” she began riddling off and Emma caught the section of her questions that applied to her.

“-yes, that. That, right there!” she answers all too excitedly and the woman just laughs again. Emma tries to calm herself, but she’s blushing from the deeply rooted embarrassment.

“You’re calling for someone here?” she repeats slowly and in perfect questioning tone and Emma nods before she realizes she’s not in front of this woman.

“Yeah…” she answers, trailing and the woman hums.

“That’s a shock. No one here gets calls unless it’s the cops or a babysitter,” she rambles as she wipes down the bar and Emma has to wonder,

“How do you know I’m not a babysitter?”

“Based on the length of time it took you to figure out why you were calling and how shy you were when you asked if this was a bar, I’d say, no babysitter, no matter how indisposed they may be- ever calls with that odd sense of unsure-like feeling… now, you said you were calling for someone. Who is it?” she asked and Emma swallowed.

“Umm, she’s one of the women who works on the outside,” Emma said.

“Oh, you mean one of the corner girls..”

“Yeah.. umm, Regina?” she questions and Kelsey snorts.

“Wait… you’re the mystery woman from last night,” she recalls and Emma has no idea how a bartender would know that.

“Uhh, yeah?” Emma answers and Kelsey continues.

“Sorry, but, there’s no forgetting a pretty face and a nice car. That and the fact that you were the only new client yesterday…. Everyone was watching you and Ruby was the only one who got a good picture of you...she said you might call,” Kelsey teased and Emma choked.

“Why would she say that?” Emma asked and Kelsey just shrugged.

“I dunno, but she said you just might call. You must’ve been smitten enough with Regina last night to call for her so early into her shift for today,”

“I didn’t- I don’t.. I,” Emma tried but what could she possibly say to any of that?

“No one can blame you though. She’s something to behold,” Kelsey admitted and Emma swallowed thickly, unsure of whether she should agree even though Kelsey was absolutely right. “Hold on a sec and I’ll go get her-,”

“-NO!” Emma shouted, managing to find her voice in that moment and Kelsey flinched.

“Woah, calm down..”

“I’m sorry, but you don’t need to get her. I was just calling to see if this is where she was. I have something of hers to give back,” Emma mumbled. “Could you.. You know- just tell her I called?”

“Yeah, I can do that, but are you sure you don’t want me to just get her or something?”

“No, you said her shift just started, so I don’t wanna pull her away from that. Just tell her Emma called,” the blonde requested and Kelsey scribbled down her message.

“Alright, will do,”

“Thank you,”

“You’re welcome.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Regina’s first client was someone with a baby kink. Had mommy issues, daddy issues. All the issues. But he was as most of them were, awkwardly sweet. He was surprisingly never Ruby’s client, so he was the first fresh one of the bunch who solely gravitated towards Regina without any form of pre-direction from the other woman. He would easily pay his $200 for his session and the extra hundred just for another hour with her, but he was in a rush that day and couldn’t very well afford the $300 dollars he usually could. But, he had his session and was grateful for her time, even if he did have to pay for it. It was worth it. Considering all she had to do was hold him much like a mother would her baby for the duration of the hour and watch tv with him, the comfort of it paid for itself.

He dropped Regina off at the corner and thanked her once more, earning a genuine smile from her as she shook her head and headed towards her spot near the wall. She pressed her back against it and sighed gently until her head turned in the direction of the sound of the bar door opening. Kelsey looked like she just had sex for some reason, but then again- she almost always looked like she just had sex. She just had that  _ look _ . She looked left and then right before spotting Regina and walking towards her before she smiled and held out a piece of paper for her. Regina eyed it and Kelsey smirked.

“You might wanna take this,” she said and the woman did. Regina waited until Kelsey was back inside and Belle and M&M stopped looking at her like she just got propositioned and turned it down. She unfolded the note and read it.

 

 _Emma_ _called_. 

 

Hmm… that was something, she thought to herself. Who the hell was Emma? She thought to herself until Belle snatched the paper away and read it over. Belle then made that oooo sound that bordered on playful teasing and Regina scowled at her.

“Someone’s girlfriend called her job for her! Woot woot! All aboard that train!” Belle continued to tease and Regina turned crimson long enough that Ruby made her way over and looked between the three of them.

“What’s happening over here?” she asked and Belle danced around before she passed the paper over and Ruby’s eyebrows shot up. A grin split out across her face before she spoke. “I knew she’d call,” she said with a shake of her head and Regina made a sound bordering on a whine that caught Ruby’s attention. Ruby looked at her for a second and rolled her eyes because Regina clearly looked annoyed. “What? I just told Kelsey if she calls to let you know, but it seems she already sent that message on her own,” Ruby teased and Regina shook her head. “Awww, come on, you didn’t expect her not to call, did you?” she asked and Regina pulled out her phone before typing out her message.

_ I don’t even know who that is _

“Seriously?” Ruby asks and Regina shakes her head. Ruby snorts. “Regina, you just met her last night- you know..mystery woman?” she asked knowingly and Regina’s eyes soon switched to that of realization. “Oh my God, how do you not know her name? Seriously, how does someone learn what someone does for a living and not their name?” she continued and Regina shrugged uneasily. “Did you seriously, not ask her name?” Ruby then asked seriously and Regina paused her actions because she’s nearly positive she didn’t ask, but she’s almost positive that the blonde woman had told her. She’s positive Emma had told her- her name at some point. She doesn’t respond to Ruby’s question and Ruby scoffs “God, you’re hopeless,” she teases and Regina looks up at her. She still doesn’t react and Ruby sighs gently.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

 

“I really shouldn’t do this,” Emma muttered to herself as she tapped away at the steering wheel of her car. “No, I should not do this. This is not what I should do,” she continued on in such a convoluted way, even she was beginning to think she may have lost a few screws. And yet, she still drove down to BAR and parked her car on the corner. Her eyes scanned the scene, looking for Regina or for the tall woman who threatened her the night before. But she didn’t see either of them and decided to kill the ignition and wait.

She waited for nearly ten minutes before she spotted the woman and the woman spotted her car. Emma immediately rolled her window down.

“Back again for more?” Ruby asked and Emma, in all her nervousness, managed to hold her own.

“Uhh, no. No. I was just wondering if Regina was here. I wanted to return something of hers..” she said and Ruby then looked at her watch.

“No, she’s not. She’s with a client right now, but if you wanna wait for her, I suggest you park somewhere your car won’t get towed,” she told her and Emma nodded quickly. Ruby directed Emma on where she could park and Emma got out of her car before she looked around. BAR didn’t look as seedy on the outside and she had to wonder if the inside was just as clean in appearance. She did hesitate for a moment until Ruby gave her a look and that made her feet move towards the door. Emma stepped inside, still following Ruby who had told the bartender Emma had talked to earlier, to fix her a drink. Kelsey quickly made up a gin and tonic before she slid it over to Emma and smirked.

“So you did show up, after all,”

“I’m sorry, what?” Emma asked, nursing her drink.

“You called earlier about Regina, right?” she asked and Emma nodded.

“I’m Kelsey. I’m the one you had so much trouble talking to earlier when you asked about Regina,” she introduced, stretching her hand out and letting Emma take her own time to shake it.

“Emma,” she said back and the woman laughed.

“I remember.. Drinks on Ruby tonight, she said to tell you order whatever you want and she’ll cover your tab,” Kelsey continued and Emma nodded.  _ Ruby _ . Well, at least now she knew that woman’s name and the bartender’s name.

Emma turned in her bar stool and stared out across the expanse of BAR. It wasn’t seedy on the inside either. Well, not entirely at least. There were questionable people sitting at the tables and and playing pool, but you had a mix of suits in there and casuals like Emma. She sipped her drink before knocking it back completely and then she cracked her neck. The tv was on a random channel that no one seemed to care too much for, but other than that, BAR was boring. Beyond boring. It’s a wonder it had so many people. _Probably because it’s prostitute town like dad said_ she recapped silently before she ordered a bottle of water. She was driving tonight and she honestly wasn’t supposed to have that drink anyway. Kelsey eyed her for a moment, surprised she had ordered it, but got it for her anyway. She chugged that back and went to the restroom. _Ahhhh_ _there’s the seediness_ she flinched.The restrooms weren’t.. Well, as up to par as she’d hoped they’d be. They weren’t bad, but they still weren’t clean enough that she would do anything past hover if she didn’t have a penis.

Emma peed and washed up her hands before she headed out and nodded towards Kelsey, leaving her a tip before she walked into the night air and inhaled deeply. She went to her car and sat inside before locking it and reclining her chair. Before she knew it, she was out cold. She honestly shouldn’t have been sleeping in that particular area like that, but in all honesty, Emma felt there was nothing left to lose. And then there was a rapt noise riddling against her left ear that indicated someone was knocking on her window. She flinched, waking immediately before her eyes settled into a haze. She waited a moment, rubbing at them before they focused and she screwed her window down.

R-gina?” she asked, still sleep ridden and still out of it. The woman before her smirked. Emma rolled her window back up and got out of the car, shutting the door as she did so. “Sorry.. I must’ve fallen asleep,” she apologised but Regina was just looking at her, a soft smile still adorning her features. Emma watched Regina pull her phone out, type out a message and hand it over to her.

 

_ It’s not safe to fall asleep in this area _

 

“I know.. Sorry, I just came to return something of yours,” the blonde told her and she nodded before typing out another response.

_ You drove all the way here to return something of mines? _

“Well, yeah..why wouldn’t I?”

I _ don’t know, why would you? _ Regina asked and Emma shrugged. Regina typed out something else, hesitating over the keypad before erasing and typing something else in.  _ How long were you waiting? _ It had asked and Emma squinted at her watch before shrugging.

“Two hours, maybe,” she said and Regina’s eyebrows went up to her hairline in a fashion Emma understood all too well. “It’s not that big of a deal. I didn’t have anything to do,” she assures and the woman nods, but she can see Regina doesn’t quite believe that. Before she explains any further, her phone rings and she answers. “Hello? Yeah… yeah, okay… Five days.. “ she muttered before rotating her neck to get the kink out. She also sighed and it sounded like she was hearing some unwanted news. “Yeah, okay.. More than likely,” she joked and then hung up.. “Sorry, that was my boss,” she told Regina. “What were we talking about?” she’d asked and Regina shrugged playfully. “Seriously...oh, God, aren’t you still on the clock or something? Am I distracting you?” she asked frantically but Regina shook her head gently. “Okay..okay, cool.. So umm. I know I just came to return your stuff, but I was wondering.. Would you maybe wanna, hang out with me for a bit?” she offered and Regina looked around before she looked back at Emma and nodded softly. “Don’t worry, I’ll pay you and everything, but I was kind of wondering if you wouldn’t mind hanging out when you’re you know.. Not working?” Emma had then continued and Regina snorted but nodded. Emma grinned at her and it caught Regina off guard how beautiful that smile really was. She didn’t have to be told twice as she got into Emma’s car and buckled up. Emma got in and buckled herself up before they pulled out of the lot. And Ruby of course didn’t need to know Regina had left with her to gather that Emma would take care of her anyway. She just shook her head and went inside.

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Emma took Regina around for a drive that was once again, comfortable silence. She showed Regina some of the projects she had sketched out and what was currently about to end up going where, once her design was finished and she never missed the way she kept that rapt attention of the brunette. She never missed how Regina seemed to be so intrigued by what she said and what she does. Never did she miss those facial expressions where she knew Regina was beyond awestruck by what the blonde had told her and she appreciated that someone of a completely different walk of life, appreciated her work and showed interest in her and her work.

Emma talked about everything and nothing and Regina just listened quietly, only pulling out her phone to type out an answer any time Emma posed a question to her or wanted to know a little bit more about her. She had asked the young brunette if she’d eaten and given that Regina nodded all too quickly for Emma’s liking, she deduced that Regina actually didn’t eat and was hiding that fact. So, the blonde played it off by saying she definitely was and drove them a little ways away from Regina’s job and towards food. Emma didn’t ask Regina if she wanted anything. She just bought it for her and told her to try it because it’s amazing. Regina, not realizing this was Emma’s way of making sure she ate, took the bait and there was no lie, the taco was pretty damn good. Emma ordered them two more each and found a bench for them to sit at for a while.

But just as quickly as they were enjoying themselves, eating tacos from a food truck Emma used to frequent and giggling at the drunk people in need of their own fixes, the hour came to an end and she had to take her back. Once they sat in the car and began to drive, Emma spoke.

“I’m sorry I have to cut this short. I have to do some correspondence with my boss later tonight and then get an early start tomorrow.. But, I had a really good time,” she said, her fingers showing the actions of her expression even though she had to maintain a solid grip on her wheel, and Regina smiled and nodded back.

_ I had a good time too _

“I’m glad,” Emma smiled. “Listen, since tomorrow’s gonna be hectic and I don’t know about the day after, how about we meet on Tuesday and have brunch- my treat?” Emma had offered her and she looked down at her hands. “Did I say something wrong?” she asked hesitantly but Regina shook her head. “Soooo, Tuesday?” she asked again and Regina managed to smile gently. “Awesome. Do you know where Ivory’s is?” Emma had then asked and Regina nodded. “Okay.. We can meet there for eleven?” Regina nodded and Emma smiled. “Great… I hope I’m not making you uncomfortable or anything,” Emma then commented and immediately Regina shook her head. “You sure? I mean I don’t know the proper ways to make friends with people who no one thinks should be friends with someone like me.. So, if I do anything you don’t like or do something stupid that you can’t stand, could you- you know.. Tell me?” she’d wondered and Regina could only sadly smile at her and nod. She leaned over and kissed Emma’s cheek before she was about to exit the car. “Hey, wait. You forgot your scarf,” Emma told her before reaching in the back and grabbing it, Regina turned back and took her scarf into her hand before she sighed gently. “And you forgot your pay,” Emma continued before she pulled out $80 dollars and handed it over. Regina pushed that back into her hand and shook her head. She typed out a message.

_ I wasn’t on the clock, and you said we were friends yesterday. I don’t think you’re supposed to pay someone to be your friend  _ the message read and Emma blushed. Regina smirked and typed out another message.  _ Thank you for tonight, Emma _

“No, thank you. Remember. Ivory’s at eleven,” she repeated and Regina nodded. “Regina?” she called once more and Regina stopped from bothering to move even slightly. “Did it help, yesterday?” she had asked and Regina didn’t need to know what Emma was immediately referring to, to know what she meant. Regina nodded almost too quickly and the look Emma gave her made her settle. She sighed before she sat back in the passenger seat, typed out a response and let Emma read it over.

_ It did help. I had to pay rent and it’s all gone, but what you gave me helped more than you could know and that’s all that matters to me. It’s always hard to stay on top of bills with all the other things I have to worry about, but because of what you did... I don’t have to worry so much about it all anymore _ …

Emma sat there for a moment, mulling the words over in her head before she pulled out her wallet and slid the bill into Regina’s hand along with her phone.

“I want you to keep this. This isn’t pity. This is empathy and this is what friends do. They help each other. I know you’re strong and I know you can more than likely handle yourself, but I just want to help you. That’s all. I’m not gonna show up someday and demand you return the favour or however people think that works. I just want to help. So.. if you let me, I promise I won’t overstep, and I’ll try not to make you feel like you can’t take care of yourself, but… the least I can do is make sure you have food in your place to eat, right?” she tried joking and saw a faint smile on Regina’s face. “You know I’m gonna tease you about being this tiny until I actually see you putting some weight on, right?” Emma then asked and Regina rolled her eyes before shoving at her shoulder. Emma laughed loudly before she settled and leaned over the console to kiss Regina’s cheek “Have a good night, Regina,” she whispered and Regina smiled at her before leaving the car.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Tuesday rolls around for them to have lunch and Ruby had helped Regina pick out something that didn’t look too worn, but didn’t look like she was trying so hard either and she’s just settled for her best pair of jeans, an elbow length top and some comfortable sandals. Ruby dropped her off at Ivory’s and she sat there waiting for Emma for about five minutes. Emma wasn’t late, but Regina was always early to any place she had to get to. By the time Emma got inside, the waitress was over to their table and placing menues before them. She watched Regina smile and wondered why.

_ Impeccable timing _ , the note said and Emma shrugged with a smug look. 

“You look beautiful,” Emma compliments and Regina’s now the one shrugging.

_ Not as good as you do _ , the second note says and Emma is now blushing.  _ I didn’t order because I don’t know what to get. I’ve never been here before _ .

“Oh, you’re good. I’ll order for you,” Emma assures and Regina sets her menue down. Emma does in fact order for the two of them and immediately tells her she might have to leave by the end of the week to deal with a new project. It surprises her but she thinks she saw a hint of disappointment in Regina’s facial expression. “I know,” she agrees. “It kind of sucks because I’ll be gone for a bit. These projects usually take a month or more to handle and that’s only if the client isn’t indecisive and the companies offering to do the job aren’t crap.- or if it isn’t a from scratch build that I have to oversee like the last project that took me six months..still, it’s fun to travel and it’s cool to put my stamp on another design. Jet lag’s just a bitch though..” she trails, watching Regina’s head tilt and her eyes go somber.

Emma ends up bringing up the things her parents had said as well and was shocked Regina took it all in stride, joking that yes her mother was right that she did in fact have secrets, but there were reasons why. She still wasn’t vocally responding with words Emma wanted to hear so badly, but Regina responding even in a mute fashion was absolutely beautiful, still. Her expressions were more lively when she laughed or scowled or pouted and her words, articulated with the vocabulary Emma could tell was expansive, weaved a story of beautiful imagery that allowed her to see it as if Regina spoke it herself. Their food comes and they eat. Emma watches the way Regina bows her head in reverence, more than likely to thank God for the food and out of respect for her, she does the same and waits, just in time to see Regina make the sign of the cross.

“You’re Catholic,” she smiles and Regina nods. “I am too. Well, I was raised Catholic, but I haven’t been to mass in years,” she admits. Regina laughs. Emma shrugs. “Shit,” she says upon remembrance and Regina looks up at her, worried. “Sorry, I forgot I haven’t picked up any new material from the art shop to start with these designs. I used everything I had for the last one because I hated everything I could come up with,” she continued only to see Regina hurriedly type out a message.

_ I’ve seen your work and it’s beautiful. I doubt you could make anything that wasn’t attractive or artistically inclined  _ she complimented but Emma shook her head with a laugh.

“You’re lucky you don’t see the process before the final product. I’ve killed nine too many trees,” she says before huffing. Silence encompassess their meal for that time until it’s time to go and Emma pays the bill. She offers Regina a ride and the brunette accepts it, gaining the opportunity to watch Emma shop around picking up charcoal pencils and new sketchpads. She had picked up long sheets of a specific type of paper that most architects used for home design and had those bagged up. Emma pretty much bought the store and Regina supposes she really wasn’t lying when she said she used all of her stuff. The fact that she even had to buy new rulers led Regina to believe they were on the other end of Emma’s frustration and she probably broke a good chunk of them. She put all of her things in the trunk of her car and left them there because whenever she needed to leave and travel, she’ll grab them out of the back trunk and shove them in her backpack or something. Emma ends up dropping Regina off to the exact same spot as the first night and now that Emma looks around, she realizes she can see the clear cut separation of suburb and ghetto. She doesn’t ask any questions though. She doesn’t even know how she’d formulate a question to ask Regina, but, she tells her to be safe and that they’ll talk soon. Regina leaves her with a note on a napkin that says she’ll hold her to it with a little wink emoji on the end. She isn’t paying too much attention to anything else when Regina leans over the framing of her car door and kisses Emma’s cheek a little longer than she usually would and Emma felt the difference. The shift in the dynamic of it. 

 

 

The spark

 

 

And that spark stuck with Emma until she got back to her hotel and had a message from the front desk that told her to call her boss when she got in. Mister Jones had called to inform Emma she would be leaving in five days. And as five days came and five days went, Emma hadn’t realized she forgot one major detail before travel.


	4. Ring

The first week and a half for Emma turns into an unwanted shitstorm of both boredom and stress. She already took her flight into Colorado and damn was it hot that day. Not to mention that the day she landed was the day her work began. She had to quickly change in the airport bathroom, and catch the car waiting for her, just to meet the client and when she got there, she had to wait an extra three hours because apparently the client had a golf date with some friends. As nice as the receptionist could have been to Emma, it didn’t soothe the fact that she felt the client should have just postponed until the day after. You don’t leave one of America’s top architects waiting on you because you decided to play golf. Get your fucking idea put on paper, then go play golf.

But it didn’t stop there. When the client had arrived, Emma was under the impression she’d be dealing with one person and one person only, but her client- Angel Cruzado and his partner quickly turned that upside down. Everything Angel asked her as it related to dimensions and the possibility of creating this-this- or that, his partner whose name Emma couldn’t give a damn about learning, shot it down. Emma had a sinking feeling Angel’s partner was a bit of a douche, but that was just her observation. And then, Emma realized why Angel’s partner was the way they were. Angel had inherited his father’s business after an untimely demise and his.. Boyfriend or whatever, had been in the picture for a little over two years. Fast forward to now and Emma could blatantly see that Angel bent to the will of his partner simply because it was easier to do that to just state his displeasure, and it was all because his partner held him by eight years of life on this goddamn planet. Emma, without realizing it, had shot him a sympathetic look the moment his partner started going off on another one of Angel’s ideas. It was as if he hated Angel’s creativity. His eccentric mind. His very child-like attribution… and that sucked. If you’re with someone, love them- flaws and all. He caught that look and because he’d seen her eyes- hardened with a defiance of wanting to say something- wanting to stand up for him, but remaining professional simply because of her job… he felt his heart go heavy. That display of raw and unwarranted need to protect he’d seen, made him want to say something to her in response and his eyes had watered at her concern.

Emma thought she may have been dreaming when she saw his glassy blue eyes go stark wide against his caramel skin, but she was never wrong in assumption. Neither was she wrong in sight. Angel Cruzado was holding back tears and she’d no clue why that was.

“Michael..can you just give us a minute, please?” he’d then asked his partner.  _ Oh, that’s his name _ she concluded.

“Why?” Michael asked shortly and Angel sighed.

“Because I have to discuss the contract, the length of time for the project, more design ideas and how Emma is going to oversee that it’s done when I need it to be done,” Angel told him calmly, but Michael looked skeptical.

“I don’t see why I can’t be here for that,” he combatted and Angel sighed once more.

“Michael.. _ please _ ,” he almost begged and Michael relented with a huff.

“Fine. CARRIE!” he shouted and the receptionist walked in. No matter how much he tried, that young woman was not afraid of him and thankfully, he didn’t know that Carrie was the one keeping most of the important information specifically for Angel so that _this_ shitstorm didn’t happen.

“Yes Michael,” she answered dryly and Angel held back a snort, but Emma snorted and managed to cover it with a cough. Michael turned to glare at her, but she had her head in her portfolio, so he got the impression she didn’t even register what Carrie said. He turned back and looked at Carrie, an eyebrow raised in judgment before he folded his arms and spoke.

“I need coffee and lunch and something to keep me distracted. These meetings are boring. Angel- call me when you’re done. We’re going out with Kristen and some other people tonight,” he said in such a way that Emma’s jaw clenched on instant. She really wanted to level his face into something, and Angel saw that. He quickly tried doing away with the stress by just nodding and saying.

“Yes, sure. Whatever you want, Michael,” and finally the man left. The second he and Carrie had left and the door shut more in a slamming fashion than a soft click, Angel huffed and Emma’s jaw reflexively relaxed. “I’m so sorry about Michael, he’s a bit… tough,” Angel settles for saying, but Emma doesn’t speak. She doesn’t even know whether or not she has an opinion she’s allowed to give as it relates to that asshole. So, she has to stay quiet, right? Because it’s the right thing to do? “You know, Michael wasn’t always like that,” she then hears him say and she can’t help but let out a sigh. What was Angel playing at? Was he asking for a shoulder to lean on or something? Was he genuinely trying to convince Emma that his partner wasn’t a shitty person? “Honestly, when he and I got together, he was so sweet, so caring and so kind to me. My parents loved him, my friends loved him. I loved him,” Angel says and the past tense use of the term gets to Emma. She finally looks up at Angel to see that he’s staring at her with watery eyes and a broken smile. He wipes his cheek that’s now tear-stained and stands. Angel looks out the window of the building and huffs. “ It’s odd when I think of it now, but when I was first introduced to him. I didn’t even like him that much- or at all for that matter,” he recalls, laughing tearily. Emma just watches his body quiver with the knowledge of being in a relationship that was just so unhealthy on him, he’d built a lie around it all. Coddled the situation, hoping it would get better and it didn’t. “I thought he was too rough around the edges, too brazen. Too confrontational, but for some reason, the way he did it with me, made me weak in the knees. It made my heart palpitate. It made me feel alive…. And then he just.. Changed. I don’t know why and I don’t know when, but by the time I noticed, it was too late, we were too deep. I wanted it all to last so badly that I just swallowed it back and let him do whatever. And I know- I know it’s wrong. I know I should have just walked away, but have you ever just fell so stupidly in love with someone that you’d give anything to make it last for as long as you can?” he asked, now turning around to Emma. His eyes are questioning but his form isn’t asking for a response. His head and his heart want two different things. To know and not to know.. But, she answers him. Why? Because, damn it- it’s what she was supposed to do.

“No,” she says honestly. “The woman I was with for four years of my life was cheating on me for six months and had her girlfriend living in our apartment. I loved her more than a lot of things, but I had just started falling in love with her. I wanted to propose the day I got back-and yet, here I am- proposal no longer pending. Request no longer sent.. Love no longer felt…” she tells him before shrugging and looking as if she remembered something from her time with Ciara. Angel nodded as he rounded his desk and leaned against it. He had on very tight business attire. He was a petite man to begin with, but his suit was tailoured to his lean and muscular frame. He loosened his tie and unbuttoned a button on his jacket before taking it off and tossing it into the chair next to Emma. Angel’s head falls back and he lets out a guttural laugh. It’s not one of happiness. Emma supposes he substitutes this for breaking things and for screaming. Her method involves broken plastic rulers… Many. Broken. Plastic. Rulers. 

“God, I must look so weak in your eyes, then,” he had concluded but Emma shook her head.

“Far from it. We all do things blinded by something.. At least you know something’s blinding you, right?” she posed it as a question and he stopped looking at the roof to look at her, eyebrow quirking in thought before he nodded solemnly.

“That’s very true, and I think I’ve always known and continued to ignore it because.. Ignorance is bliss, right?”

“So they tell me. But I’m ignorant in other ways.. I’m not the blissful idiot I wish I could be. If I were, I’d be lovesick and peddling after a woman who stopped loving me somewhere within four years of being with me,”

“And how much did that hurt you?” Angel finds himself asking.

“A lot,” is her supplied answer. “You deserve better, Angel. You know this,”

“I do-,” he agrees “-but I don’t know how to make a clean break,”

“There’s no such thing as a clean break. There’s a lot of bandages and patching up, but never clean breaks…”

“I’m afraid he may hurt me,” Angel finally admits and it clicks for Emma. Angel has been wanting to make this relationship no more, but he’s afraid of physical or emotional abuse…. Her head tilts at him, his arms are still folded, probably to protect himself in order to feel strong. But slowly, she sees the stiffness drift away as he looks at her, waiting for whatever thought that has crossed her mind, to come out of her mouth. He  _ wants _ her help.. He needs it.

“Has he hit you before, Angel?” she asks and the way he shifts uncomfortably and pulls the sleeves of his shirt down, tells her something’s happened.

“Once or twice he got violent, but he never… hit me directly. He threw things and whatever happened to hit me was what I deserved I guess-,”

“-stop that. Someone physically trying to harm you is never your fault and you are old enough to know that, and smart enough that you shouldn’t believe that his actions are warranted or justified. They are not acts of love. They are acts of hatred and of violence and of him literally being a spoiled brat. That’s all abusive adults are. Scared, spoiled brats with temper problems and no concern for another… If you want to end it as much as you’re hinting at, break up with him in a police station parking lot. Break up with him where witnesses are. Break up with him in an environment that is comfortable for you and not for him. Somewhere he knows his reaction determines the outcome. Force him to hear you and not throw things at you simply because…. Do you just give him whatever he wants? Money, jewelry- anything like that?”

“Lately, yes..”

“Why?”

“I don’t know,” he admits and she huffs.

“You just inherited your father’s business, right?”

“Yes but-,”

“-when did he start requesting those things?” she then asked after cutting him off and he stopped to think for a moment.

“A few days before we buried my father,” Angel admitted and Emma gave him a look that made him sober up in his thoughts. Angel’s face went from pained to stoically annoyed, more so at the fact that he’d fallen for the whole thing and Michael was just waiting for him to do so. Angel’s tongue clicks angrily before he stands up straight and calls for Carrie.

“Yes sir?” she’d answered with a genuine tone of worry. Emma could tell Carrie put up with Michael, simply for Angel’s sake. Angel stuck his hands into the pockets of his tight suit pants and tutted around the office, the thoughts riddling him.

“Carrie, I need you to do me a favour. Pull up the spending history on all the cards I’ve given to Michael,” he told her and she nodded before doing so. Carrie swipes and Angel’s face turns towards the projected screen. She hands over the tablet and he scrolls through it. Emma looks at it and so does Carrie. Angel, laughs in disbelief as he continued to scroll to a stop. He then passes the table back to Carrie and breathes deeply. “All accounts that have Michael listed beneath them, all joint accounts, anything he didn’t have before we started dating, call and have his name removed. I want you to pull every debit and credit card I signed off on for him. Freeze the accounts, I don’t care what you do, and the money… donate it,” he said. His voice was shaking with thoughts. He knew he hadn’t said some of those things as professionally as he should have, but Carrie understood what he meant. She was instructed to cut Michael’s tab, that was in the simplest way of determining his request. Carrie nodded.

“Where will the money go sir?”she asked, already contacting the bank.

“To the women’s shelter. The children’s homes. Schools, the men’s shelter. St. Judes. It doesn’t matter- pick places that need it,” he answers and she nods before scribbling.

“Is this a Ghost Donation sir?” she’d then asked and he turned his upper half towards her before nodding. She nods once more and Angel is then taking his hands out of his pockets, holding them before him as he walks towards Carrie. He holds her face in his hands and smiles at her. “After you’re done.. Take a vacation Carrie,” he then says and she’s so stumped by his affection she mumbles.

“Why?”

“Because, you were pretty much in this shitty relationship too and I am so sorry you were subject to his disrespectful ways,” he admits before he pulls his hands away and she gulps but whispers,

“Thank you, sir.”

“Call me Angel, you know I hate formalities,” he admits and she smiles. “Oh, and that appointment that I had earlier today.. The one that was supposed to happen before that stupid golf meeting Michael insisted I go to.. Call them and give a formal apology for me and send some flowers, or whatever they may like as compensation..”

“Actually Angel,” Emma said and he turned sharply to regard her. “You don’t have to apologise to them,” she said and he tilted his head.

“Why ever not?”

“Because, it was me you were supposed to meet with...but, it’s fine, now that I know your reasoning- it’s fine-,”

“-It was you… Emma I apologise, so much,” Angel said, ignoring Emma’s previous words. She shook her head. “Oh- no-no…. Why didn’t you say something! I’ll have to call Mister Jones and apologise. I didn’t know. I wanted to have this meeting with you but Michael insisted that meeting with some high rollers would bring better publicity for the company and cause them to have some sympathy or something like that….Carrie, did he know I had this meeting? Did he know my schedule?” Angel asked his assistant and she thought for a moment.

“I wouldn’t be able to tell you for certain, but I don’t think it was much of a coincidence..” she had answered and Angel huffed.

“Alright, thanks Carrie. Get on that request as soon as possible,” he tells her before turning sharply towards Emma. “Again, I am so sorry, Emma,” he apologised but she shook her head again.

“Like I said, it’s fine. I know what the reasoning was now…”

“Still, it is so disrespectful that he was so insistent on something to splay my grieving out on and not on something that’s actually important…. But, enough of that. Do you think I’ll be able to have what I’ve asked for done within the three months?”

“You should. Find a good construction company who doesn’t have an overflow of requests at the moment. We keep a list on hand in case that becomes an issue because that causes them to not send the right amount of guys to get it done or they send men who...aren’t as skilled or skilled enough to handle the project,” she informs and he nods.

“And..is there any company you can recommend first hand that would be able to do what I asked?”

“Oh, yeah. I’ve been an architect with this company for a while now and there’s only really one of them willing to do the… outlandish,” she said carefully and Angel laughed.

“Good. Good. Well, I’ll ask Carrie to deal with the details of that, but- would you mind accompanying me to dinner and discussing alternative designs?”

“Sure, Angel.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Three and a half months!?” Emma blurted with a clear tone of disgruntled feelings.

“Sadly, yes. Three and a half months,” Mister Jones had told her and she groaned. She’d just walked through the doors of her hotel room and thrown everything on the bed before she’d flopped down and had gotten a call from the front desk telling her Mister Jones requested she call him. Emma had groaned, turned over and video called her boss who looked just as tired as she did and the project was barely one percent into its beginning. The initial time frame for this project was an estimated month until Emma and Angel actually spoke at length and Emma learned what Angel originally wanted, had not been outlined completely. Turns out, Michael had something to do with that too. Michael told Angel it would be a waste to do all the changes Angel had originally wanted and Angel had cracked and agreed. But after sitting with him for dinner and learning of the things he’d initially wanted, even Emma knew the project would take more than a month. That led to her calling the contractor who had to get into contact with Mister Jones who was now relaying that information to the blonde.

“Mister J, I just got back home last week and now I’m going to be out for three months?! Can’t you do something about that?”

“You know I would if I could, Emma… but what’s the issue now?” he asked and she huffed as she sat at her desk. He picked up a glass of bourbon and sipped before he shifted some papers over and his twelve year old daughter climbed into bed next to him.

“Hi Emma!” she greeted happily and Emma smirked before waving.

“Hey Anna. How’s school?” she asked, trying to seem less angry about her current predicament. 

“It’s crap. I got detention for kissing my friend,” she rolled her eyes and the way Mister Jones looked at his daughter, meant he was surprised by the news.

“Oh?” Emma said and Anna nodded.

“Yeah, she’s cute, but my teacher said something about it being inappropriate and then I did it again and got detention.. But the second kiss was from my other friend. He’s cute too,” she shrugged and Emma snorted a laugh that had her boss glaring at her. She tried straightening up, but it was no use.

“Well kid, I don’t think I can give you any advice on that, but I can tell you if you’re kissing people to be careful you don’t give or get something and never to do it in the front of your teachers. They’re.. A little picky with certain things,”

“Yeah, but it’s not like I like them that way. They like each other and wouldn’t just date already, but like, I figured if I kissed them both- they’d be mad enough and then talk about it and then be like ‘we should kiss just to get back at her’ and then BAM. They’re together… but like, my plan backfired and I think I confused them both,” she said with a grimace and Emma laughs this time. Anna then laughs too and Emma shakes her head.

“Listen Anna, your best option is to just tell them to date rather than kiss them. Not that your plan wasn’t pretty good, but you run the risk of them being mad at you before they even think of the idea to kiss just to get back at you.. But I envy your concern for your friends.. You’ll be a pretty good support system,” she compliments and Anna blushes.

“Ohhh stop,” she says and both she and Emma laugh. It’s silly how much of a little woman Anna is and her father rolls his eyes with a groan. She kisses her father’s cheek and tells him good night before shutting his door and Mister Jones shakes his head.

“That child,” he comments but Emma shrugs.

“She’s pretty smart,”

“Too smart,” he comments before he huffs and switches the conversation. “You’ve never had much of a problem before with staying long periods of time when if came to projects,” he told her. “Is it your parents? Is someone sick?” he asked and Emma’s mind, her thoughts..her everything paused and she stopped moving, abruptly. With a shake of her head, he continued to speak. “You haven’t even been there a week if I’m correct. What’s the issue?” he asked and she looked away before standing to retrieve her pad. Emma tosses it on her desk and says.

“The first meeting was a complete waste because of some golf game. I was waiting three hours for nothing pretty much,” she began. “Mister Jones, I’ve been here for three days and my first day was already horrible because the guy who inherited the company from his father has an abusive partner who didn’t want him to go with any idea he suggested…” she trailed off, not realizing she was pacing. Her boss just watched her body language. “That made him question all of his ideas and for the past two days, I’ve been avoiding that building because his assistant told me he’s been arguing with him since that evening, and to top that shit off, I just recently broke up with Ciara because she was cheating on me…”

“So, you haven’t started on the project yet?” he asks and she shakes her head. He intentionally avoids the mentioning of her breakup with Ciara because Emma wasn’t a personal life kind of talker. When she was stressed, things just dribbled their way out of her mouth.

“No, we started something, but I don’t even think it’s remotely close to the project itself. I think he was just throwing out random ideas. He’s young but he’s smart.. And yet,” she says before she huffs.

“Yet?” he prompts.

“He looks like he just wanted something or someone to buffer his relationship,”

“Do you believe this project will fall through?” Killian asks and she shakes her head vehemently.

“No.. I don’t. I think it’s there, his request for the project to be done is real, but I don’t think he wanted to do it right away. His correspondence with the company I suggested and his meeting with the bank have already been done, but he’s.. Delaying something for some reason,” she tells him honestly and he tilts his head in understanding.

“Which means we are sitting ducks at the moment,” her boss adds and she bobs her head.

“For the most part, yeah,” she answers and he hums.

“I understand.. I will see what I can do about this, Emma, but give it another week, and if nothing’s changed, I’ll send Jonathan in to do damage control.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

Since their lunch date the other day, Regina’s mind had been stuck on Emma. For so many reasons, she just couldn’t shake the thought of Emma from her mind- and she found she didn’t mind much. She’d been able to buy groceries, but not much.. Simply because- his things are expensive. His things are costly, but as a woman who has someone else to care for, she had to buy them. And she’d rather have his things, his medication- whatever it is that helps keep him alive than have food sitting in the cupboard that she probably won’t eat anyway. 

She was finally on the last of the takeaway plates from their dinner the first night and though she had a shift in a little while, she found herself curled up on her couch and staring blankly at the television. She was more concerned with eating and thoughts of Emma to actually focus on what show was on. He was currently taking a nap and usually, she’d make sure he was napping on the couch where she could keep an eye on him just in case something happened, but he’d thrown an actual tantrum and just wanted to stay in the bed. She’d let him, because he wouldn’t communicate why, but it was just something he wanted. So, she let him have it because he never wanted much, but the few things he did want, she gave it to him without much resistance. It had also been two days since she’s seen any image of Emma and she wondered how the blonde was doing. She knew that in half an hour, Ruby was scheduled to come over just to talk and that made Regina laugh to herself. Ruby is actually afraid of Granny, but on days Regina knows the old woman will be out or doing something, she’ll usually tell Ruby and the woman would drop by.

She doesn’t realize how lost in her thoughts she actually is until there’s a knock at her door and she flinches. The food in her hands has surely gone cold by now and so, Regina sets that down and goes to answer her door. Of course it’s Ruby standing there with a soft grin on her face, so Regina steps aside and allows her in. Ruby looks around the apartment and shakes her head.

“It always looks exactly the same,” she comments before turning back to see Regina turn from shutting the door. The young brunette shrugs gently before she walks past Ruby and sits down. Ruby follows and sits too. “Where is he? I thought he usually sleeps out here on the couch on days like these?” she asks and Regina nods before she scribbles something down on a nearby pad.

_ He wanted to sleep in the bed today. He was frustrated about it earlier, so I just let him. _

“Ohhhh..mmm what’s that?” she then asks, her chin jutting out to the plate of food and Regina just picks it up and hands it over. Ruby understands that Regina’s telling her to try it and so, she does. Based on the moan of pleasure from it, Regina concludes that Ruby likes it. “Damn, that’s good!” she comments and Regina nods. “Tastes like rich people food,” she continues and Regina laughs but nods again, clear indication that she’s saying it is. “Did Emma get you this?” she then asked and Regina nods.

_ From the first night we met.. She gave me four takeaway plates. That’s the last one _

“Well damn,” Ruby snorts. “She must really be in love with you already,” Ruby teases and Regina glares at her. “I’m serious. For all the things she’s done in the space of a week.. I’d say she’s got some feelings for you,”

_ If it’s anything, it would probably be rebound considering her ex just became her ex exactly one week and two days ago  _ Ruby read and shook her head.

“Speaking of.. What’s going on between you two, anyway?” she asked and Regina bit her bottom lip. She wasn’t even sure what was happening between them. She flips the paper on the pad over and quickly scribbles something down.

_ She said we were friends _

“Friends?” Regina nods. “Seriously?” Regina nods again. “That was fast,” she commented and Regina furiously scribbled something else down.

_ She said she’s not very well versed in making friends, but she seemed genuine about it when she said it to me _ Regina’s note read and Ruby stopped for a moment to think.

“I mean, I guess.. But is there more there?” she asked and Regina gave her a smirk. She wrote something down and slid the pad over.

_ Why, afraid she may steal me from you _ it teased and Ruby growled.

“No..” Ruby responded with a roll of her eyes. “I mean.. I just don’t want you to get hurt,” she admitted and Regina’s face softened. She wrote her response down slowly and slid it over.

_ I know, but.. I have you don’t I? _

“Of course you do, but there’s gonna be a day when you don’t need me anymore and I wanna make sure whoever you fall in love with, doesn’t hurt you and is worth it.. Regina, you never hear stories of the prostitute dating the well off business person that has dual degrees and more money than you’ve ever seen in your lifetime. You never hear of people from two different walks of life. Two  _ vastly _ different walks of life- becoming friends and evolving into anything past that. That’s for Disney to make pretend is real and possible when it’s not. It’s a dream for children. It’s a pipe dream… you need to be careful with her and around her. I know she may seem nice and all of that, and hell-maybe she is different from everyone else, but sweetie people like her and people like us..don’t mix. We don’t get to love them and in most cases, they don’t wanna love us. And whatever you feel for her now, I hope it isn’t something that turns into heartbreak down the line..but if it does, I’ll be here for you. I’ll probably be mad you let yourself fall for someone who could hurt you as much as she can, but I’ll be here for you,” she then tells Regina, determined to make her understand and Regina can do nothing but smile at her. She mouths the words  _ thank you _ and Ruby nods before pulling her in for a hug and they lay there to watch some tv.

Her shift that evening is pretty shitty because she isn’t too happy that Emma doesn’t show up that evening just to see her, but, she knows she shouldn’t expect much from Emma. Like Ruby said and she’s always known, they were of two different walks of life. So Regina writes that night off as just a normal day- Emma was busy and if she could come and see her, she would. Not that there was anything Regina could offer her at the moment. But she shrugs and finishes up her night, earning a good bit of money. The day after however, isn’t as forgiving or as bearable. She ends up having to cut her shift, earning nothing that evening since she has to take him to the hospital and the bill she gets is three figured. That unnerves her and makes her collapse in a puddle of tears and frustration as she frantically rips it up and throws it away so she doesn’t have to look at it. But, that did her no good that evening either because she doesn’t remember how she made it through the night, through her nightmare. On the next day when she started searching for another job to do during the day so that she could somehow stay afloat, nothing was in the papers. Nothing was stuck up on the windows or stapled to the poles. Nothing could be done, and with a sigh- Regina went back to her apartment, cared for him, asked Granny to keep an eye on him which was pretty much all the old woman did for her just about everyday, and she went to her shift on Call and Answer. She doesn’t sleep well that evening either, having forgotten about Emma that particular day. But it was because of his most recent visit to the hospital coupled with the fact that rent was due a day from that day, Regina felt her brain suffering from the worst migraine she’s ever had.

 

By the time the two week mark, since the day they’d met- had rolled around and Regina had still yet to see Emma at all, she’d lost a lot of hope that Emma would come back. At first she thought Emma was just busy, but now she was thinking that Emma just didn’t want to see her. Or that maybe Emma realized Regina was a completely different bill she was paying for and didn’t want to anymore. Or maybe- and this was far reaching, even by Regina’s standards, but maybe Emma found someone else to date and felt that Regina would be a nuisance to that and that’s why she hasn’t come around to see her. And it’s not as if Regina could just roll up to where Emma said she worked because of two things. One was the obvious and the second was just as obvious.. She didn’t have an exact reason to request seeing Emma, and based on where Emma works, Regina knows she has nothing good enough to wear that they would even blink at her twice. So, that option was out.

She’s had Ruby asking her if she heard from Emma or saw Emma and at the time, Regina had continuously shook her head no. Simply because she hadn’t. Then the pain of it became obvious, the anger of it became obvious as well. She’d began going to work and pretending like none of that had hurt her. She’d go to work and with this stony expression and it would show until she got with her clients. But it was so obvious to all of them that it was hard not to know why she was as upset as she was. She’s tried acting as though she doesn’t care or that it doesn’t hurt her when it does and Ruby sees this. Ruby always sees this, that’s just the thing about it. This is why she warned Regina about having feelings and falling so hard so fast..if you could call it that. This is why she warned Regina against things like this. They were different and that came with many hurdles, even if they were just going to be friends. Someone would look at them strange or judge them for their choices or simply not accept them and this is not what Ruby wanted for her. And every time she saw Regina looking like a kicked puppy, it hurt her. She couldn’t help but feel for her. A young woman, 23 and..here.

Then by the beginning of the third week, it was over. Every ounce of hope she even thought she had left, was now completely gone. She was writing Emma out of her life and she didn’t know why, but she was more hurt than angry at the blonde woman.  _ You don’t just come into someone’s life and then walk away from them without explanation! You don’t make someone feel safe and then disappear from their lives, Emma! You don’t get to run away from someone who you claimed you were friends with!  _ she’d found herself muttering that, grinding her teeth angrily as she stood there in the bathroom to reapply her lipstick properly. She’d felt around the inside of the bag for her lip gloss and felt something paperlike mash beneath her fingers. Regina contemplated what in the hell it was before she pulled it out and looked at it. Her heart dropped gently as she held onto the paper Kelsey had given her some time back. She sighed, deposited her things back into her purse and walked out of the bathroom, a death grip on the note as she leaned against the wall. Belle watched. M&M watched..pretty much everyone who could see her no longer stony expression, just watched her.

“Is she okay?” Gilda had queried and Belle looked like she herself wasn’t even sure how to answer that. She shrugged unevenly.

“To tell you the truth Gil.. I’m not sure. She’s been like this for weeks now. You’d swear someone died,” she’d told her and Gilda shook her head.

“Poor kid,” she comments and Belle snorts.

“Ain’t that the truth.”

 

_ Emma called _ . The words rang out in her head and Regina didn’t know why she hadn’t been able to let the paper go after she read it. She didn’t know why she couldn’t just put it away. She had no idea why the words felt significant. She knew the answer was obvious. It was right there in the front of her face, but she wasn’t seeing it. As much as she knew it was obvious, she knew just as well, she was not seeing it.

But then the obvious hit Regina that same evening when she was off and watching him watch tv. One of the characters had asked their best friend,

‘Did you even get her number? How are you gonna call her without her number?’

‘...I didn’t think of that,’ the character had responded and Regina could do nothing but slap her own forehead at the obviousness of what the note had meant.

It wasn’t that Emma didn’t want to see her, or didn’t want to call her..it was just that Emma didn’t have Regina’s number  _ to _ call her. She didn’t have Regina’s number to text her and probably nag her about eating or whatever their friendship would turn into. That was the reason she hadn’t heard from Emma. Emma didn’t have Regina’s direct number...but Emma did have BAR’s number..so why hadn’t she called for Regina?

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Emma can’t believe it. She can’t believe that listening to her boss and staying there for the extra week like he’d requested actually worked. Jonathan didn’t have to come down to do damage control, it was just that Angel finally had enough of the back and forth with Michael and got a restraining order against him. Granted, the blonde thinks he should have done that from the get go, but you live and you learn. She and Angel had managed to get a lot done as it related to his project and that allowed her to quickly sketch out the initial draw for the request. Emma had faxed over the sketch to the company she usually works with and found that if Angel can get them what they need when they need it they can get it done within the three months even after the hiccup. Emma was kind of hoping to hear less time, but she supposes three months is better than six. Now that this week was going fine, she finally had time to think about things and about life. She’d been getting text messages from Ciara. One having to do with a late car payment and her asking Emma for money to help her pay for it and the other was because the car got towed and was currently impounded. All of Ciara’s other text messages ranged from her bipolar moments. One second she’s pissed at Emma, calling her every unholy thing on the planet and the next, she’s apologising to her and begging her to come back. Or if she’s not doing any of those, she’s sendy risque photos just to see if Emma still felt something sexual for her. Emma had shook her head on more than one occasion because here Ciara was, blowing up her phone and then posting on facebook about how happy she was with.. Toby? Tyler? Tommy? whatever, point was- Emma didn’t want any part of it and she damn sure didn’t want Ciara texting her anyway. A whole other week of this crap went on and finally, Emma had enough. She had then blocked that number and gone through the rest of her messages to make sure any other number Ciara might text her from was blocked too. 

What wasn’t from her parents was from the construction company or her boss, and if it wasn’t from them it was from her friends… but none of them were from Regina and Emma had to wonder if she’d pushed the woman too far or if she’d said something she shouldn’t have or made Regina feel inferior. Emma had to wonder if Regina just..  _ didn’t _ want to be friends with someone like her simply because Regina felt Emma might judge her or something. Emma didn’t know, but she had to wonder because.. Now that she thinks about it, it’s been three weeks and God-  _ How stupid could I be to not notice that?! _

_ It’s because you work so damn hard you put that before everything else these days. _

Because that’s a thing Emma does. She forgets and she forgets when she’s happy and that causes her to be unhappy down the line. But what she thought she forgot, which was the time frame, wasn’t what her focus on forgetting should have been on, and THAT hadn’t clicked in her brain until late that evening when she was texting her parents back and forth and her friends back and forth that Ariel asked,

_ What’s my number?  _ And Emma had without thinking, typed out Ariel’s number without a second though. Noticing what Ariel said next, made Emma groan at herself.

_ Uhuh..now tell me what Regina’s number is _

 

_ FUCK _

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

1 MONTH 1 DAY

 

It’s mid afternoon and Ruby is in BAR just sitting at the bar and watching the news. She’s distracted by hearing that a man got attacked by some rabid cats whilst Kelsey is setting up the glasses for later that night. It’s double shot day at the bar and she needed a fuck ton of glasses for what was about to happen later. She’s humming away until the phone rings and she picks it up.

“BAR, this is Kelsey,” she answered and Emma breathed in relief.

“Thank God you’re there.. It’s Emma,” the blonde clarified.

“Oh..hi, long time no talk. We were all wondering if you fell off the face of the earth,” she responded and Emma laughed uneasily.

“Yeeaaah, sorry about that. Hey. Um, is Regina there. I kind of need to talk to her,” Emma had said but Kelsey snorted.

“No, she’s not in today.. Correction, she’s not in  _ yet _ ,” she clarified and those words got Ruby’s attention. The older woman spun around and a brow rose at Kelsey who was still setting glasses out, not really watching Ruby at all. “Either that or she’s off today?” Kelsey then questions herself before she moves around in a circle in order to find their roster. Ruby snaps her fingers and Kelsey looks up.

_ Who is that? _ Ruby mouths and Kelsey smirks before speaking.

“Hold on Emma, I’ll look at the roster,” and immediately, Ruby is motioning for the cordless phone. Kelsey hands it over and Ruby instantly starts on Emma.

“You pick three weeks later to call?!” Ruby growls and Emma whines.

“I’m sorry?” because she’s both confused and frightened by whomever it is on the other line. Ruby scoffs.

“Sorry’s not enough, Emma. What the hell did you think that was going to do?” Ruby asked and Emma shrugged uneasily.

“I didn’t notice. I’m sorry. I had to leave that same week and I found out from my boss I’m supposed to be here for almost four months, and I’ve been swamped the entire time. But I haven’t been able to do anything other than work because of my client and his crappy partner. I just.. I’m sorry, I was just swamped and when I noticed last night I figured I’d call today to settle it.. I hope she’s not mad at me. I didn’t mean to forget,” Emma rambled on and on and on and even Ruby could tell she meant it. She was sorry. Ruby sighed.

“God, you’re an idiot,” she tells her and Emma huffs.

“I know… I just didn’t realize I let the most important part of our conversation end without getting her number…”

“Yeah, well. That should have been the first thing you did get. How in the hell did you forget that?”

“I was happy,” Emma admits and Ruby goes silent. “I was just so happy to have someone different, to talk to someone different.. To talk to someone who genuinely wanted to know about me that I forgot because once I got that information, I’ve just been going- going- going. I finally responded to my parents who sent me messages before I left and I just couldn’t find an avenue before that, to think. And that project isn’t the only one that I’m dealing with. I still have four other ones I’m being updated on, deciding for and overseeing. I still have meetings and conference calls and people having to fly here to see me and then I have to work around my current client who has twice as much as I do everyday…” she finishes and Ruby sighs.

“I can’t put all the blame on you.. She’s grown too, she should have gotten your number,”

“No, it’s not her fault. I really wasn’t thinking. I asked her to be my friend. I should have been the one to ask for her number.. I just thought she didn’t want to be friends with someone like me. Someone.. so different from her,”

“Yeah, well- she thought the same thing as you. She thought you weren’t speaking to her because of who she was and what she had to do in this world… I guess you two have more self-deprecating in common than you think,” Ruby told her dryly but Emma still found herself laughing before settling.

“I just hope.. I hope she doesn’t hate me, you know?” she asks and for a moment, Ruby says nothing until she sighs and tells Emma,

“She doesn’t hate you. She’s hurt but she doesn’t hate you,”

“I know she’s hurt, but I didn’t realize it until last night-,”

“-yeah, okay. I got it.. Just, get a piece of paper and something to write with and take this number down,” Ruby told her and Emma didn’t take but a few seconds considering she was sat at her makeshift sketch table. Ruby riddled off the number and Emma called it back to make sure she heard right. “Don’t text or call her just yet though,” she had then warned after they had a bit more conversation and Emma was confused.

“Why?”

“Because, she could use the time and so could you.. That and she  _ is _ working later tonight,”

“Oh, okay. Got it.. Ruby?”

“Yes?”

“Thank you.. This means a lot to me,”

“Good, because if you hurt her I’ll make good on you going missing,” she threatened and Emma finally had it in her to respond.

“My dad’s a cop. I don’t think you wanna threaten the officer’s daughter,” she joked and Ruby snorted.

“Sweetheart, I’ve tangoed with more cops and married men than you can shake a stick at… I have work to do. Don’t fuck this up, Emma,” Ruby finds herself reminding the woman because God damn, that was a serious coincidence of stupidity on both their parts.

“I won’t. Not anymore.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Music is booming as loud as it can with what those cheap speakers would allow. It’s just some drum and bass music that Regina usually listens to that helps her get pumped up enough to work through another dead shift. It’s been a month and a day since she met Emma and all she got to spend with the woman was a few days from their first week. Regina had really thought that Emma wanted nothing to do with her, but now that she knew it was because Emma didn’t have her number, she felt a whole lot less angry and a little bit more stupid that she hadn’t noticed it either. If it was one thing she did remember it was the fact that she knew now, Emma had not asked her for her number. They were both so caught up in their ‘date’ and shopping for Emma’s supplies that none of that had clicked anywhere in her head.

_ How could I be so stupid not to have noticed that?! _ She found herself questioning as she walked around her room and picked up her dress for the evening. She picked up her heels and packed those away before checking to make sure her deoderant as well as other things were in her duffel bag.

Meanwhile, he’s sitting on her bed, watching her get dressed. His head is bobbing from side to side because he loves this kind of music too. She suspects that’s simply because she’s had him around it for so long that he had no choice but to like it the way she does. She’s putting on her ‘work’ clothes..well, the ones everyone in her apartment building assumes is her work clothes and for some reason he picks that moment to climb off the bed and walk over to her. Regina stops getting ready after pulling her shirt over her head and noticing him standing before her. She holds her hands out for him and he grabs hold of them before they dance around the room. It’s definitely not to the beat of the music, but it is their dance. He’s grinning as she twirls him and he attempts to twirl her. The height difference proves to be the issue, but it’s all in love and happiness. They dance for a little longer until her phone pings off and she stops abruptly. His eyes don’t narrow, but they go skeptical almost as he watches her give him a pitiful look before she brushes his hair from his face, kisses his cheek and heads for her phone. Within that same moment, her doorbell ‘rings’. It makes more of a dying bee sound than a buzzing on its intended ring. Regina huffs lightly before she turns back and answers the door. It’s Granny Lucas of course, but it’s almost always Granny Lucas. She lets her in and the old woman makes herself comfortable. Regina turns back and retrieves all her things before she kisses his head, lets him know she’ll see him later and reminds him how much she loves him. He nods back at her, a small smile on his face at her admission of I love you.

She doesn’t get to check her phone right then and there as she’s forgotten it even pinged off with a text to begin with. It’s that coupled with the fact that Ruby came to get her and Belle was already inside and they completely had her distracted the entire ride to work.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Emma was sat, staring at her phone screen for the better part of half an hour before she sighed deeply and tossed it at the end of her bed. She had a conference call in about an hour and figured she would text Regina to surprise her and make her a little bit happier on her shift.. That’s if she wasn’t completely pissed at Emma and already wrote her out of her life. Ruby told her not to text Regina until she was sure the woman was at work and Emma had tried to wait.. Impatiently, but she tried nonetheless. Well, her trying proved...futile because within ten minutes of having Regina’s number, Emma had sent her a text message and hoped to catch Regina before work just so they could get some of the miscommunication out of the way. Clearly Ruby’s advice was important because now, Emma sat there nervously and aggravated all in the same breath. She hadn’t realized that she’s driven herself partially insane, walking around the upper level of the hotel without so much as a bit of recollection on how she managed to do that, considering what her mind was on and her last memory of being glued to her damn table. But, being there in her bed with nothing but that way too soon sent text bothering her, made Emma a little nutty. She quickly shot from the bed and paced for a while. She could go for a jog, but she’s nearly positive she won’t have enough time to shower and get dressed for the conference call. She could play a few video games, but she’s nearly positive she’d get sucked into the wormhole and forget about the conference call completely..and then there was smoking. She could smoke.. She probably should smoke. She kind of wants to smoke. Only thing, she didn’t have a carton of cigarettes with her, but she did toss one in the trash with a couple cigs left in it.

She rushed for it, yanking the lid off the trashcan and sticking her hand in there before she shuffles it around to find the cigarettes. Something goes off in Emma’s head and she pauses abruptly.

_ You know this would be really gross if you actually end up smoking these, right? _ She’d heard some voice ask her and she sighed heavily.

“Fuck, fine.. I won’t smoke them.. I guess I’ll just call Ariel and bother her,” Emma sarcastically said to herself before she dialled her friend’s number and waited. It rang and rang and rang and just when Emma decided she was going to hang up, Ariel answered.

“Hey- sorry about that, I was dealing with my mini me,” she apologised with a laugh that everyone loved. Emma smirked before she spoke.

“It’s all good, I’m just freaking out and figured I’d call you,” Emma said and Ariel snorted.

“You call me before you call your mom?”

“Mom’s got a couple classes today. I can’t call her in the middle of it just so she can talk me off the ledge,” Emma says flatly and Ariel’s response is a laugh before she stops short and asks,

“Wait, you’re not  _ actually _ on a ledge, are you?” and Emma rolls her eyes.

“No, I’m on the top of Mount Kilimanjaro,” she sassed and Ariel sucked her teeth.

“Go to hell, Emma,” she bit back playfully and Emma snorted.

“Pretty positive I’m seated at the right hand of Lucifer himself…. Seriously though, I need to be talked off the ledge,”

“The ledge of what?” Ariel asked and Emma couldn’t help but say,

“Of glory,” and immediately her friend groaned.

“Okay first off, no more shitty jokes. Secondly it’s edge and thirdly- what’s got you so twitchy? For real,” 

“I know. I’m sorry, I just can’t help it. I’m excited but I’m not excited because I’m so excited I could puke and you know- you shouldn’t be excited to puke-,”

“-Emma..what is it?” Ariel interrupted and Emma swallowed.

“Okay well… I called BAR and got bitched at.. And then I got Regina’s number. Well actually, I got teased a little, then bitched at, then I got Regina’s number,”

“Okaaaay, did you text her?”

“Well I was told not to until I knew for a fact she was to work-,”

“-and you didn’t wait and texted her earlier than you should have so now you’re freaking out that it’s because she doesn’t wanna talk to you-,”

“-exactly..”

“Do you honestly hear yourself?”

“Yes and I still don’t see how any of that makes me seem crazy,”

“It doesn’t,” Ariel tells her immediately. “I’m just confused as to why you don’t wait until she actually is to work and see if she texts you back,”

“....I didn’t think of that,” Emma admits and now Ariel’s snorting.

“Clearly not.. Just, chill out kiddo. If she has time- she’ll text you back, or whenever she gets around to it,”

“You think?”

“Sure, as long as you didn’t yammer too much, she might find it cute and endearing and put you out your misery.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Regina, Ruby and Belle arrive at BAR and the girls go to change. Regina sighs as she slips her essentials into her purse and puts her duffel away in their storage spot for all their things. By the time she heads outside after waving to everyone on shift, her phone pings off again and this time she has a moment to answer it. The first ping is for an update for the phone. She rolls her eyes and swipes that out of her notifications before she sees an unknown number that’s sent her a text. Hesitant at first on opening it, Regina stands there with contemplation on her mind. It could be someone hacking her phone for whatever reason and funnily enough, they’d probably think she was some old lady with the lack of activity on it and even if they were after money- she didn’t have any they could steal.

_ Just open it, what’s the worst that could happen? _ She’d found herself asking herself and Regina realized, nothing much worse could possibly happen to her. So, she opened the text message and read it over.

 

_ Hey, it’s me..Emma :). I know I haven’t spoken to you in three weeks and I can explain all of that if you’d give me the chance to.. Or I guess I’ll just type it now and tell you. Remember when I told you that my boss might call me to leave in a couple of days for a new project?  _

Regina remembers Emma distinctly on the phone and then telling her this was a possibility.

_..well, turns out I had to leave that same weekend to start the project and as it turns out the project is supposed to last for nearly four months.. _

Regina scowled.

_ Trust me I’m scowling at the length of time too. Anyway, I asked my boss to see if he can shorten it because I really just wanna be home and I kinda miss my new friend and I’m sorry I was so forgetful and stupid that I didn’t get your number. I was just so happy to be around someone different and talk to someone who wasn’t..so much like me that I completely forgot. I hope you can forgive me. But that’s not all. I know that all that time I could have called your job and gotten your number, but I was swamped beyond measure. I couldn’t rest because of this thing with my client and other things that I’ll tell you about when I get back. I finally had a chance to respond to my parents and those texts were from over three weeks ago. I still have a crap ton of meetings and just..a lot of overseeing to do, but I just wanted to text you early so that you had something to smile about before work, but I guess I should have listened to Ruby when she told me not to text you right away.. I panicked after I did though. I thought you might be mad at me or something and I know it must hurt and you must’ve thought I didn’t wanna talk to you at all, but I had no time to think and when I finally could I hadn’t realized I didn’t have your number until Ariel asked me to tell her what your number was. Anyway, I’m probably rambling too much, but I am sorry I didn’t get a chance to figure this out sooner… but if you thought that was nutty, you might not believe me when I say I thought it was you who didn’t wanna talk to me. I thought I pushed you away or something or pushed you too much and you just couldn’t be bothered with me, but I’m glad I got your number and hopefully this clears things up. I’m rambling again, but I hope you’d message me so that I know we’re still okay. Take care, Regina. _

 

Regina hadn’t realized how much emotion that text brought out of her because she felt a finger drift against her cheek and it was from Belle. She was smiling and crying and Belle had just wiped her tear away, notifying her that this had some great affect on her. She looked up, her smile getting brighter and brighter and Belle smiled back at her, nodding her head because finally.. Finally- Regina’s megawatt smile that usually lit up that drab and dim corner they worked on, was back. But, she didn’t have time to hunt Ruby down and hug her with every bit of strength she had. No, a client came and she had to go, but Regina still sent out a text anyway. If only to put Emma at ease.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Emma’s phone pings during her conversation with Ariel and she has to put her friend on speaker so she can check. She also gets a notification that she has a conference call in five minutes, but when Emma opens the unknown number’s text, she all but falls off the bed in excitement. It only read four words, but Emma knew exactly who it was from and that was enough for her.

“I take it by your squealing, she responded?” Ariel asked and Emma knew she must’ve had to cover her ears because the pitch on Emma’s excitement was high.

“She so did,” the blonde said and Ariel couldn’t help but laugh.

“You sound like a fifteen year old boy,”

“Technically, I can pass for one considering,”

“Don’t start with the penis jokes.. Just tell me what she said,”

“She said ‘I missed you too’!” the blonde informed excitedly and Ariel nodded.

“Niiiice.. Happy now. Do you still think she’s mad at you or any of your other worries?”

“No, now I know we’re still on speaking grounds, so that helps.. But I got a conference call in a minute.. I really wish we didn’t have so many,”

“That’s what happens when you’re Boston’s youngest and finest architect,”

“Can’t they find someone else?”

“Pfft, I doubt anyone managed to make that company as much as you have, or had their name plated on as many designs as you’ve had. I suggest you just mellow in it and enjoy the attention,”

“I don’t like that kind of attention, you know that,”

“Listen, it’s not my fault you’re some brain with a creative side to you…”

“Gee, thanks,” Emma rolls her eyes and sighs. “I’ll talk to you later, I’m getting that stupid notification that it’s time,”

“Kay. Be safe and don’t drool over your new girlfriend so much,” Ariel teased and Emma responded all too quickly that it didn’t just catch Ariel’s attention, but some of the board members as well.

“She’s not my girlfriend!” she blurted and heard someone clear their throat. That’s what she hated about conference calls. Whether you were ready or not, the video images would be pulled up and you would be live along with everyone else.. Unless you were out of frame. Emma jumped and turned, huffing out a ball of air as she turned to see some pointed stares and a few interested looks.

“Who’s not your girlfriend, Emma?”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Regina’s shift was terrible money wise but beneficial Emma wise. She may not have had that many clients for the evening, but she had Emma to keep her distracted and laughing. She’d found out that Emma was talking to her during a conference call and the blonde had claimed it was beyond boring and how much she wishes she could do something else. Regina scolds her a little bit about getting in trouble and Emma does end up getting in trouble because she snorts at the statement of getting in trouble. Oddly enough, her boss saves her hide and she tries to focus as much as possible as she continues to distract Regina from her own garbage evening. To Regina’s surprise, no one asked why she was so giggly or why she was so happy, but then she supposes she would have had to be obvious about Emma’s lack of appearances that they just immediately caught on..and Regina really needed to figure out a way to not be  _ so _ obvious about her pain that her coworkers felt sorry for her.

Then, it came time to leave that god forsaken place and she was beyond happy for it. By the time Regina had grabbed her duffel bag and had a drink of water from the bar, Ruby had finally appeared and Regina did not wait. She did not hesitate to run towards the woman, tackle her and hug her tightly- the silent thank you evident in her body language. Ruby was shocked at first until it set in and slowly her hands went around Regina’s lower half.

“you’re welcome,” she whispers softly before she pulls back and smiles at Regina’s rosy cheeks. She kisses the top of her head and winks at her before nodding at Kelsey who was locking the front door, and takes a few of the girls- including Regina, home.

The young brunette gets into her apartment and takes a shower before changing into some sweats and waking Granny. She could always count on the old woman to be asleep when she got in because that meant she didn’t have to go back and forth between changing into her old cafe uniform just to make Granny believe she was still a barista. She helped her up and paid her what she made that night. It wasn’t much, but it’ll have to do.

Regina texts Ruby a good night before she settles in bed and curls around him. Her phone vibrates and it’s from Emma who is telling her that her conference call is over and she’s exhausted but she hopes Regina sleeps amazingly well and she’ll talk to her in the morning. Regina sends her a text back that says,

_ Sweet Dreams, Emma. _

 

 


	5. Ring Ring

1 MONTH. 1 WEEK. 1 DAY.

 

Emma and Regina have been texting back and forth with one another for an entire week and over the course of that week, Regina has learned that Emma gets stressed out very easily these days. The blonde had brought her new friend up to speed on her current project and why it was that she simply could not function as well as Regina has seen her function. Emma had relayed to Regina, without giving too much away that her current client had a persistent ex, and even with the restraining order, it seemed they really refused to listen to the request. Coupled with the fact that Angel was now trashing even his own ideas, put her in a funk because she had to come up with a project design on a whim after he’d changed his mind for almost the tenth time. Leave it to Michael and Angel would never finish a sentence, let alone his request for the reconstructive design.

Regina had tried to send her a happy and encouraging text every opportunity she got and Emma appreciated it, but Emma never focused on herself as much as she focused on Regina. She was always asking the woman if she ate and how she was doing and if anyone had been messing with her. These were all things Regina was used to hearing Ruby ask her, but getting the exact same questions from Emma over her welfare, made her heart skip and trip over itself at the thought that maybe Emma did care more than she and Ruby thought the woman would. Considering most times she had still gone without a meal, she’d simply told Emma that she wasn’t hungry most days. Granted, it had been true but the reaction she received text-wise, was far from chill. Emma had immediately gotten upset, not with her but just at the fact that she wasn’t eating to keep herself alive. And the blonde had told her that. She expressed her worry and her concern and her blatant anger over it and made Regina promise her she’d at least try to eat small things throughout the day. Even if all she ended up doing was snacking on things, it was better than nothing. Regina had agreed. She stuck to it as best as she possibly could given her circumstance and that was all Emma needed to hear for her to be happy.

Not one to jump too soon, but neither one to just sit back and wait as if it weren’t important, Regina had asked Emma when she was due to return and Emma had explained in the most honest way she could that she genuinely didn’t know. 

 

**The project was supposed to originally be for three and a half months, but like I told you, Angel changed his mind again, so I’m stuck and construction is definitely stuck.**

 

_ Oh _

 

**Yeah, but I asked my boss to see what he could do about it (because I have a really cool friend back home that I kinda wanna hang out with more if she wants to do the same) and that I already spent six months away from home. Colorado’s nice and all, but I miss home** _. _

 

_ Hopefully he can pull a few strings then.. But, what if I help you with your design. Maybe if we toss a few ideas around we may figure something out   _ Regina had suggested and Emma thought about it for a moment before she hummed to herself and then responded.

 

**You know what, that just might help me.. Okay, so his dad died and he inherited this place, now- from what I got, Angel has been wanting to do something as a tribute to his dad. You know, not the traditional plaque on the side of the building kind of thing, but a real tribute and he wants that in the form of a statue.. At least, he kind of agreed on a statue and then said no.** The blonde had said before she saw the triple dot, notifying her that Regina was typing.

 

_ Does Angel have any siblings? _

 

**Not as far as I know, but I can ask.. Hold on** Emma texted back. Shortly after, she came back with a response.

**No, he’s the only child. It was just him and his dad for a long time. His mom died in childbirth. Ever since, he says his father’s been looking for balance that existed in their lives and with the business, it created that comforting chaos he was so used to having with Sophia before Angel was born. After he popped out, his dad had to shift life again to suit his needs. He’s never really found someone else to love after that. He told Angel his mother was the only woman he’d ever loved and he ended up taking that to the grave with him.** She texted and it took a while for Regina to respond. First with condolences and then with an idea.

 

_ I think I have an idea… it might sound crazy but I think I know what Angel might want. _

 

**At this point, I’ll take anything.**

 

 

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

 

**2 MONTHS. ONE WEEK**

 

It had been five weeks since they had that discussion. Five weeks since that particular discussion, they’d had multiple- other discussions. Five weeks had passed and they went from calling each other by their names to Regina being ‘Gina’, ‘Gi’ or even ‘little lady’ and Emma being ‘dear’. There were times Regina fought with herself over calling Emma ‘Em’ but she’d held back so many times that she figured she may as well stick with something that’s enough of an endearment as it is controlled and arm’s length keeping. Of course Emma groaned and complained about the referencing, claiming it made Regina sound even older for saying it to her than it would in making it seem as though Emma was a ten year old. Regina had then told her to,

 

_ Give a suggestion on what I should call you then _ and Emma had cheekily responded with something along the lines of,

 

**My sunshine wouldn’t hurt ;).** Only thing about that was, Regina’s emphasis and clear cut scowl in her written response.

 

_ I am  _ **_not_ ** _ calling you my sunshine! _

 

 **You just did! See, was that so hard?** She had teased only to have Regina actually send her the middle finger, causing her to bust a gut laughing in a coffee shop she’d found on her one day of free adventure. You would expect her to be embarrassed by her own outburst, but Emma brushed it off as the people who stared at her for no more than maybe five seconds, had turned back to their own lives and private conversations.

But it had been five weeks. Five weeks since Regina's suggestion had been made, and five weeks since Angel had wholeheartedly approved the idea. It was five weeks since the official project had started, an already sketched out idea plastered up in Angel’s office with dimensions as well as materials and other miscellaneous, construction jargon in a portfolio that sat idly on his desk. It had been made within that one night Regina and Emma sat there and tossed about ideas. They stayed up for hours putting it together and by the time it was done, both women barely had enough time to rest before they had to get back to the reality of their lives. 

Given that Angel could finally see the light as it related to the project coming together, he’d hugged Emma tightly and told her there had to be some way to thank her, but she’d quickly told him it wasn’t her idea. It wasn’t just her mind that created this projection, and so- Angel told her he wanted to thank whomever it was that had helped because he doubts he could have thought of anything even remotely close to what was being put together.

It did take Emma forever and a day to figure out how she was going to continuously tell Angel she couldn’t introduce him to Regina, given the fact that Regina and he were on two different wavelengths just like she and the brunette were. But she tried her hardest to tell him that Regina was a busy woman with a life that didn’t come alive until night because of her own job. Emma tried weaving every fantasmal story she could and none meshed, so she swallowed her spit more often than not when Angel consistently mentioned how happy he was that he’d soon get to meet the second half of that shared, artistic brain who created this new structure. 

And then it took her even longer to figure out how she was going to tell Regina that she was coming back much sooner than the brunette thought and that Angel was coming later in the evening, the day after Emma, to see her.

Why she hadn’t just told the woman from he approved the idea was beyond her, but she had less time than she thought to figure out whether or not Regina would be game.

 

**Hey, little lady!** She texted and waited, back ramrod straight against the headboard in her hotel room. Emma’s leg bounced unnaturally as she waited almost too impatiently for Regina’s response.

 

_ Hi, Emma. _

 

**Hey! Ummm listen, remember when I told you a couple of weeks back that Angel had approved the idea and that construction was happening and all of that** ?

 

Y _ es, though you’ve been keeping me up to date just about everyday. Let’s not forget the millions of pictures you send me of the site.. What is it? Has something gone wrong with the design plan? _

 

**No! No, it hasn’t. It’s just that Angel’s really happy about it. Like realllllly happy about it..**

 

_ Is that a bad thing? _

 

**No. That’s not the part I wanted to talk to you about.**

 

_ Then what is it? Has something happened to you? Are you alright?  _ Came Regina’s frantic message. Emma’s heart thudded at the thought of this woman worried over her.

 

**Yeah, I’m fine. It’s not me. Not entirely at least. See, he’s so excited and happy about it that he wanted to thank me somehow and I kind of.. Sort of told him.. Actually, I did tell him that it wasn’t my idea. It wasn’t my plan. Not entirely at least, and he said he wanted to thank whomever helped me put it together and I blanked. I couldn’t figure out a way to get you out of it because I don’t know and didn’t know whether you would even want to meet with him or if you’d be comfortable, so he said that whenever I go back to Boston he’ll come a day later and take us both to dinner, and I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, but I panicked and I blanked and I still don’t know what to do. He’s insisting on taking us to dinner and I’ve never had a gay man insist on doing anything with me but partying and drugs. This is new to me.** She had managed to dribble out. It made sense, but it didn’t make sense, but that was life and that was Emma.

 

_ That’s…….  _ Regina had responded and Emma swallowed thickly. She could feel Regina’s gentle huff and her contemplating doing it. Emma knows Regina wouldn’t be doing it for herself. She’d be doing it for the blonde. Putting on a show to make sure that Emma stays within the good graces of this client. And she didn’t mind that. Not at all. She genuinely didn’t mind the thought of it..  But she was shy and she was afraid of people in most instances… and she doesn’t talk. So how in the hell was she going to do that? Even if she did want to. But that much didn’t worry her. Something completely different did.  _ I don’t have anything to wear _ she’d then texted to the blonde and Emma breathed deeply in relief.

**Don’t worry about that. I’ll buy you a dress. I just.. I feel so bad I didn’t tell you**

 

_ Don’t, it’s fine. You were scared and I understand that. I probably would have done the same thing. _

 

**You seriously wanna do this though? Because if you don’t I can figure something out.**

 

_ Emma, it really is fine. We just need a better game plan than you running around like a chicken with your head cut off and me sitting on my hands as if it’ll pass over. We can do this.. _

 

**God, do you know how amazing you are? You’ve saved my ass twice. I could kiss you!** she grinned as she sent it and the response came quicker than expected. That was because it was the shocked face emoji.  **Chill out. I won’t kiss you..unless you ask** she added, just so Regina knew. Because, it’s not as if she  _ really _ wanted to kiss her, right? Right!?

So, there was nothing for either of them to worry about. At least, Emma thought so, but by Regina’s very delayed response, she felt there might be a whole lot more to worry about than she thought. Hopefully what she has planned is enough to let Regina know how she really feels.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

_ “Emma, I have some news for you,” Mister Jones had said to her over one of their many conference calls. He shifted to open a file and sip from his decanter, causing Emma to eye him weirdly. “What?” he queried, his own eyebrows raising at her. _

_ “Nothing, it’s just… you going through something?” _

_ “Pfft, when am I not going through something,” she heard him snort and shook her head. “Don’t worry though, this is my usual when I’m not on call with you,” _

_ “I hope you don’t do that in the front of A-,” _

_ “-of course not! What kind of father do you think I am!” he roared and she grinned. _

_ “Just making sure,” she said only to see him scowl at her. “What’s this important news that you couldn’t wait to tell me in the next…. Three hours when the sun is actually up,” Emma smirked and her boss’s brows shot up and a smile fell across his face. _

_ “Remember that favour you asked me for and I said I’d see what I could do about it.. Well, I did something about it.. You’re off the hook,” he informs and at first, Emma is beyond confused until the man rolls his eyes and speaks. “You can go home soon and that’ll be the end of your leg of the project. I already have Nelly to oversee the rest and we’ll do the usual, conference calls and walkthroughs. But other than that, you only need to be there to sign off on the work after it’s approved...you’re off the hook,” he repeated and then is when it settled into Emma’s brain. Then is when she figured out what he was referencing. At that moment, Emma realized exactly what he meant and a grin split across her face. _

_ “Seriously?!” she asked, still shivering with the excitement and slight disbelief. Mister Jones rolled his eyes and grinned. _

_ “As serious as a heart attack,” he nodded and she squealed. For the first time since knowing this young woman, Emma Swan had squealed like a little girl and Killian Jones could not be happier for her. He smirked and too another sip from the decanter. _

_ “Soooooo,” she begins, shifting slightly as she got her bearings. “When do I go back?” _

_ “That…” he began before trailing off, his smirk turning into a smile. “..will come when you least expect it.” _

 

_ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ _

 

**TWO MONTHS. ONE WEEK. ONE DAY (March 16th, 2016)**

 

“Ohhhh, someone’s blushing,” Ruby teased as she sidled up beside Regina. They were meeting for lunch today and were supposed to be taking today off, but Regina wasn’t so sure about what they were doing for the rest of the day. The young brunette blushed lightly as she shifted her gaze away from her phone and looked up at Ruby. She saw the small war of confliction in Ruby’s eyes but couldn’t quite place it. Was it the jealousy again, or was it that protective fear once again? They both looked exactly alike when it came to Ruby who was a woman of few expressions were they not about Regina. Regina nods slightly before she types out her message and smiles as Ruby reads it over, her eyes going slightly wide with the realization. “Emma’s coming back?” she queries, not realizing the surprise in her own voice. Her eyes shift over to Regina’s beautiful brown orbs. The light of happiness evident in them was more than enough for Ruby to realize just how important Emma’s become to her. Ruby ends up grinning when she sees the hopefulness in Regina’s eyes. A silent plea for her approval. “You know you look like a teenaged girl, right?” she queries and Regina scowled slightly at her, still looking every bit as young as she’s told she does. “I’m sorry, but you do. It’s..cute...I’m glad you’re happy though,” she tells her. Regina looks away for a moment and nods softly. Ruby looks forward, past Regina’s shoulder and at a couple- both women, with their children, sitting happily together and enjoying themselves. She looks over again and sees yet another family, clearly blended but beautiful just the same. And yet, more families are around them. There’s the few who ‘couple’ and friends or the traditional loner there as well and Ruby finally allows herself to take it all in. When she thinks about it, she has absolutely no idea what made her choose that particular cafe in such a family oriented area. But she doesn’t regret it because in some way or another, it gives her hope. For whatever reason. It gives her a shit ton of hope. “Hey,” she calls and Regina looks up from her menue and at Ruby. A raised eyebrow is enough for her to go on. “Look,” she whispers before jutting her chin out. Regina’s eyes follow the line of sight and land on the first family. Immediately she’s mesmerized by their smiles. The children are grinning from ear to ear as one of the mothers weaves a story that Regina is sure is nothing but pure imagination and beauty. Her partner leans onto her shoulder, giggling like a teenager in love for the first time. And for a moment, Regina can see her and Emma’s faces in their place and those are their children, enraptured by the story Emma would be telling them. Maybe how they first met.. Or how they got married, or how the kids were conceived. Maybe... “Regina?” she hears the questioned calling of her name and her eyes blink rapidly before she turns back to look at Ruby. “You okay?” Ruby asks and she nods beside herself. “Sure?” Ruby pushes and sees Regina nod eagerly this time. She nods back before she says, “You know, one day you’ll have that..and I’ll have it.. And all the girls at the bar will too. I just don’t know when or how soon. But I know we’ll have it. We’ll all have someone, someday.”

 

Regina lets those words sink in for a moment before she looks down at her phone. She unlocks it and hesitates over her keypad for a moment before she types out a response. She gently presses it into Ruby’s palm, but doesn’t look at her. When Ruby catches herself and looks at the message. It just has two words on it. Two words that hold so much power, that it hadn’t dawned on her when she said it, how true it stood.

 

 

_ One day _

 

_ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ _

**Ginnnnaaaaaaa!!!** Emma had texted anxiously and waited just as impatiently for the response. Regina’s phone buzzed between her and Ruby. She picked it up to read the text over and shook her head. Ruby sat back against her chair some more as she watched Regina type out her response.

_ Yes, Emmaaaaaaaa!!! _

**Hi!** It said and she couldn’t help but grin. Regina heard Ruby clear her throat and she looked up sheepishly, her face red with slight embarrassment. She mouthed the word sorry to the older brunette before she put her phone down but Ruby shook her head.

“No, you don’t have to stop or anything, but I’m gonna head outside for a minute, yeah?” Regina nodded. Ruby got up from her seat and went outside, her own phone had been buzzing off for days now and that’s because she’s in on a little secret that Regina’s not.

_ Hello, sunshine. How are you?  _ Regina had texted back, nearly positive she wouldn’t hear the end of Emma’s claim that she knew Regina would say it eventually.

**Good, now that I got you to call me sunshine. But I have something to tell you**

_ And that would be? _

**Well, my boss managed to cut my time with Colorado shorter..** She had written and Regina nodded to herself. She didn’t want to get her hopes up about anything when it came to Emma’s schedule because she’s been keeping track of Emma’s life almost as much as Emma’s been keeping track of her own life. It would be in vain for her to think that even if Emma was coming back to Boston, that she’d immediately want to hang out with Regina. The brunette had to remember that Emma and she were two different people and what she may have wanted, might not have been what Emma was willing to give.

_ That’s good _ she responded. It was a response that she could give that wouldn’t display her feelings anymore than needed. She watched that triple dot pop up on Emma’s side of the screen and waited with a thump in her heart. 

And then it came.

**Yeah, but I’m going on a plane to go somewhere else to deal with something even more important** is what Emma sends back to her and she doesn’t realize how big of a huff she lets out when she looks away from her phone. It’s a good two minutes before Regina formulates a response that’s not bordering on her seeming needy or upset.

_ I guess you really can’t catch a break, huh? _ she asks and it seems like a good enough string of words that she can hide her clear cut displeasure over the situation.

**No, guess not. I was really looking forward to seeing you though. But duty calls, even when it shouldn’t** .

And that does it for Regina. Her thoughts go from thinking she may appear too needy in Emma’s eyes to her understanding that Emma feels just the same about her. She  _ wants  _ to see Regina as much as Regina wants to see her… okay, maybe not as much- but the point is, she wants to see her and that’s all Regina can think about.

_ Me too. I miss my friend _ is what she types back and she’s nearly positive she genuinely sounds like the lovesick girlfriend back home.

**I miss you too, Gi….soon though, okay?** is what she sees in the text and it makes her pause.. Regina has to wonder if Emma knows she’s upset, or if she feels like she has to justify what’s happening so that Regina understood it better or wouldn’t get upset should she have bad news. Regina felt her heart drop within her.

_ Okay _ she types back and that’s more than enough for Emma. It’s more than enough for Regina too. She’ll just have to wait for Emma to come back. Whenever that may be.

 

Ruby returns shortly after and sits down for a moment, looking at Regina’s saddened face. She tilts her head before she questions the younger woman.

“You okay?” she asks and Regina nods. She watches Regina type out a message before pretty much dropping her phone on the table and pushing it towards Ruby. Ruby eyes the phone and then Regina for a moment longer and then she picks it up, hesitant to read it because of Regina’s obvious mood.

_ Emma has to go to another state to deal with something important.  _ Ruby sighs gently before giving her the phone back and speaking.

“So, she’s finished with the project she was doing?” Ruby asks her and she nods. “So, what’s the problem?” she queries only to see Regina quickly type out a message.

_ We both wanted her here since her boss managed to get the time cut. And now I don’t know how long she’s going to be in the other state for. _

“And you miss her?” Ruby asks even though she’s positive she knows the answer. When she sees Regina nod, she opens her mouth to ask another question she’s just as positive will garner the same response. “And Emma misses you too, doesn’t she?” she then asks, immediately seeing Regina nod once more, confirming it for her. Ruby reaches over the table to hold Regina’s hands. She rubs her thumbs across them and hums before she tells Regina, “It’ll be okay,” not even remotely sure it will be but holding hope that it just might. Regina nods beside herself. “Hey, come on. I wanna drop by BAR and see what the deal is. Kelsey told me the stock order was off or something,” Ruby waves offhandedly. Regina looks at her for a moment, confused. Not by the possibility that Ruby might be lying, but simply because their stock orders were usually always screwed up and she would know this considering she once used to tend the bar and had to deal with their shitty inventory list. It wasn’t bad screwups, just delayed shipping due to certain alcohols being flagged at the harbour. Not everything they ordered had been duty free since BAR first opened and to this day, they still have to go through all the red tape to clear their flammables. Regina groans but stands up and grabs her messenger bag before following Ruby to her car. Ruby opens the door for her, stopping her to ask her a different question. “Is he alright?” she wonders, but Regina’s eyes seem to flash with life when she smiles a bit and nods. She mouths,  _ he’s perfectly fine  _  to her friend before Ruby holds out a hand, telling her to get in the car. She shuts it before getting into the driver’s side and going the long route towards the business. 

Somewhere in all of that, Regina begins to yawn frequently. Her shift the night before was stressful and then she’d had another early morning chat with Emma before she passed out and had to wake up at seven and deal with life. Her energy level at this point, was low, very low-so Ruby told her to stay in the car whilst she checked on their order. It was maybe ten minutes later when Ruby reappeared and told Regina they had to go pick something up because this time around, the order didn’t come into the harbour. The company sent it via plane. As weak with sleep as she may have been, Regina still nodded and typed out a message before dropping her phone in Ruby’s hand. Ruby fumbled to hold onto it, scowling at her and seeing Regina grin back.

_ How do they screw up an order that badly? _

“Beats me, but it should help us get around all the red tape,” Ruby shrugged as she held onto both the phone and the inventory order. She put Regina’s phone back in her lap and shoved the inventory list into the side of her door before she made the distance to the airport.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“You know your mother still isn’t happy about how you went about things from the other night,” her father recalled and Emma groaned deeply. Considering she hadn’t called her parents once since she got in Colorado, Emma figured she may as well today.

“Dad, it was literally over a month ago, why is she still upset?” she asks him, hearing his grunt and laugh.

“Because I keep bringing it up, because  _ I’m _ upset over it, ergo- she’s upset as well,” he tells her and if she could laugh without him scolding her, she would.

“Seriously, dad? It’s not that big of a deal, she’s a nice person and she’s sweet,” Emma defends.

“It is serious when you never see that piece of leg again,” he tells her only to hear her grunt.

“What makes you think I haven’t seen her since?” she shoots back, slightly offended for Regina that her own father just called the woman..a ‘ piece of leg’.

“Well, have ya?” the old man questions his daughter and she nods before she speaks.

“I have. And I’ve been speaking to her since I left.. Well, the night I finally managed to message you guys I got in contact with her. I forgot to get her number and just went through nine different emotions after I realized it,”

“How in the hell did you manage to forget the essentials?”

“I was having too much fun with her and it just slipped my mind,” she admitted. He sighed.

“I don’t like this,” he tells her. She rolls her eyes.

“You don’t like a lot of things,”

“That’s not true. I like you and your mother-,”

“-dad, mom and I aren’t things. We’re people. And you’re supposed to like us. She’s your wife, I’m your daughter… but what I do at this age and at this point in my life, is my own business. Whoever I am or am not friends with is my choice, dad. Just because you don’t like it or you wouldn’t do it, doesn’t mean I have to be the same. You and mom always raised me to be level-headed, strong minded and made me remember that free will is a thing. An important thing. So, she’s in that kind of work- so what! She’s amazing to be around and she’s beautiful to look at.. She’s shy but she’s sassy and she’s educated. She may have secrets, but don’t we all? I can’t fault her for the things she doesn’t want to tell me. We all have our reasons, dad. The same way you and mom didn’t tell me up until this age that you two met the way you did, is the same way she may not want to tell me what got her there in the first place. I’ll listen to whatever part of her story she wants to tell me because she deserves that much..and so much more. She’s a breath of fresh air and she challenges me. She’s the one who just helped me make the perfect design for my recent client and he’s so in love with her even though he hasn’t even met her yet. He wants to thank her because she figured out what he wanted quicker than I could have. Dad she sends me a message every morning telling me to be safe and giving me pep talks about how great I am and will continue to be. She raises my confidence level better than anyone I have known all these years, and it’s all because she listens to me and knows when I need to hear certain things. She’s important to me and I miss her so much already, because just talking with her makes my day brighter. You should see the way she laughs at my stupid jokes and how intrigued she is by what I do. I never got that from Ciara. I barely get that from Ariel and Eric and Bastian, but I’m just saying, she wants to know things about me and she gives me as much of herself as she can before she gets scared. And she has every right to be scared. We’re two different people and one of her friends already told me she’s afraid to be my friend because of that. But I don’t want her to be afraid of me. And that’s what I want her to see for herself. There’s no need for her to be afraid of me. She’s my friend,” she tells him. Her father exhales deeply before he hums. Emma’s speech of the moment tugs at his heart.

“Then I guess you have officially proven to me you are serious about this woman in your life. I approve,” he says swiftly with a nod of finality. Emma breathes deeply.

“Thanks, dad,”

“Don’t thank me. I don’t think I ever heard you defend anyone like that. This is new… I like that,” he admits and she laughs.

“Good to know.. Hey, can you tell mom I love her, I gotta get going,” she says and he hums once more.

“Of course. Be safe, Emma,”

“Of course. Bye dad,”

“Bye, baby girl.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Ruby drove the car in silence down the strip of the highway. Regina had long since fallen asleep, leaving her alone with her thoughts and the open road. She had intentionally gone the long way on both accounts, simply because she enjoyed the ride and Regina seemed to need the nap. Besides, they were off today, they could use it. Ruby gets off at the ramp for the airport and goes up the many levels to get to one specific airline location and retrieve the order. She parks the car in the parking dock and wakes Regina, gently shaking her shoulders and calling her name. Regina moans unpleasantly and bats at Ruby’s hand before she wakes with a childlike scowl etched on her face. Ruby grins before she brushes her hair from her face and speaks.

“We’re here. You might wanna wake up. I don’t think it’s safe to sleep in a parking dock,” she informs her and Regina sleepily nods before shifting and sitting up straighter, she unbuckles her seatbelt before she reaches for a breath mint and pops one into her mouth. She sucks on it, her eyes threatening to close once more before she gives herself a once over in the small mirror of the sun visor and gets out the car. Ruby locks up and gets on her phone.

“Hey, yeah. We’re here..okay-yeah.. Yep, okay. Alright,” she says before hanging up. She shoves the phone into her pocket and motions for Regina to follow her back up and out of the parking dock. They get to the terminal for the airline and Ruby’s phone rings this time. “Hello?” she answers. “Yeah, that’s us. Hold on-,” she says before waving her hand high in the air and then getting back on the phone. “Did you see it.. Good, yeah,” she says before looking up at Regina who had found something to distract herself even though she wanted nothing more than to sleep. Ruby smirks as she responds. “Ohhh yeah, alright. See you in a minute,” she grins before hanging up. Ruby slips her phone back into her pocket before she rests her hands on Regina’s shoulders. She squeezes gently. “You okay?” she asks and Regina nods with a soft smile. “Good. They’ll be here pretty soon, okay,” she tells her and receives another nod. Regina goes back to looking around at the hustle and the bustle of the airport and the only thing her mind is on- is Emma. The only person she’s been thinking about from she woke up, was Emma. And now she was at an airport terminal picking up stuff for the bar when she wishes it were Emma. Her shoulders sag a little too much for Ruby’s liking, but she leaves Regina be. She just watches Regina’s emotions war and her eyes scan what’s before them. 

And then a sound comes. It’s disgruntled and muffled at first and in all honesty, you could barely hear it over the hollow wisping of air that catches beneath the terminal bridge.

“-INA!” is what drifts heavily through all the noise, but Regina shakes her head, squinting at what’s before her. People are getting into and out of cars to see their loved ones off or to pick them up. And she envies them because Emma’s not here.

“-GINA!” comes this time, a little clearer, but Regina violently shakes her head and tries harder to focus on what’s before her, still internally growling at the displays of love and affection before her. But on this third scream for acknowledgment, Regina’s attention snaps away.

“RE-GI-NA!” comes the violent yell and it’s no more than fifty steps from her. Regina jerks from staring and turns towards the sound, her eyes glazing at first before her vision clears and she spots her.

That familiar, long blonde hair. That curly mess of beauty that drapes over her shoulders and sometimes obscures the view to her eyes. She sees those emerald green jewels from where she’s standing, that black leather jacket from their first night and she knows. Tight, dark blue jeans and grey boots with a wifebeater to match. A beanie sat snugly on top of blonde curls, keeping them at bay for the time being.. But what grabs her more, is that smile. And she knows.

_ Regina knows _ .

Without even a second thought, she tears off into a sprint for her, watching the woman before her- drop her duffel bag on the ground and open her arms for her. And when Regina clears that sprint, she launches herself into those arms, feeling their bodies meld together, knees buckling and they go tumbling down to the ground. The solid thud to the hard concrete is nothing for her, because she’s home.

_ Emma’s home. And God does it feel good. _

With a soft laugh and arms that hold her around the waist, Regina hears Emma’s wet sniffle and gleeful speech.

“I missed you too,” she admits without a care in the world, squeezing Regina’s waist tightly, feeling the woman bury her nose deeper into her neck. Regina inhales Emma’s scent before she burrows impossibly closer, her lips brushing against Emma’s collar bone, arms holding the blonde around the neck.

Emma can hear the mumblings of people around them and some still saying aww, but she’s also positive they’re being recorded and though that much doesn’t bother her, she doesn’t want to stay on the floor forever. Even if it felt better down there with Regina.

“We have to get up,” she mumbles quietly as she strokes her fingers through Regina’s hair but Regina shakes her head violently, causing Emma to laugh beneath her. “If we stay on the floor I won’t be able to take you to lunch like I promised I would when I got back,” she then tries, but Regina responds with sound. A small groan that borders on a childish whimper escapes, and Emma just sighs gently. She’s not mad in the slightest. She’s more surprised by the affection to be honest, and she was guilty of not doing much to get up as well. She hadn’t expected to cry when she saw Regina, but she did and now she had no idea why it was as heavy as it felt when they did finally hug.  _ She’s my friend. I shouldn’t be feeling this… whole when I’m with her.. And so broken without her…. She’s just my friend! Just my friend. _ And because Regina was just her friend, they needed to get up, because that welcome home hug felt like she came back to her wife who was so afraid she wouldn’t return. When Emma saw the tears forming in brown eyes as Regina ran towards her, she saw how much she was missed before they embraced. And she willingly let her legs give way beneath the force of the hug because she felt overwhelmed in such a good way, it was surprising. And right now… it all felt so much like home, it was bizarre. Emma shifts slightly before moving them both into an awkward sitting position. Regina squeezes onto her tighter and she smiles internally. With a little bit of work, Emma manages to get them up off the floor without having to let her go, seeing Ruby already standing there, holding her duffel bag for her. Emma mouths a thank you to the woman before she shoulders the bag and walks with Regina who is still latched onto her. She, instead of possibly causing a human accident from occurring, whispers something into the woman’s ear and then lifts Regina up before she lets the woman wrap her legs around her lower waist.

Ruby is more stunned by Regina than Emma is. Because she’s never seen Regina latch on to anyone this quickly. Not even her. Ruby knew everything there was to know about Regina and yet still, this surprised her and made her smile all at the same time. Even if she teased Regina about being a teenager all over again, crying over her ‘girlfriend’ it wouldn’t matter, because Regina would own that. She’d blush like hell, but she’d own it. She missed Emma and now, Emma was back and Emma was taking her to lunch..

And damn it, she couldn’t wait.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

After Emma waddled somewhat with Regina down to her parking spot, She settled her duffel in the back trunk of her car and told Ruby goodbye. Ruby didn’t threaten her this time around, and she didn’t make any crass or overly sexual jokes about what they might get up to. She just told them to be safe and asked Regina if there was anything else she had to do. Regina had shook her head, but had then let go of Emma long enough to hug Ruby before she got into Emma’s car. Ruby gave Emma a wink and a soft smile that let her know, she had been approved of. Emma nodded with a cheeky grin before getting in and starting up her car. She didn’t move just yet, taking the time to look over at Regina who was staring at her intently. A grin split out across her slightly chapped lips as she looked back at Regina, who was so lost in her own daze of appreciation for the woman before her. Regina then looked away, pulling out her phone and typing out a message before she showed it to Emma.

_ Was this the important thing you had to do? _ it asked and Emma continued to grin before she nodded eagerly.

“It was. It  _ is _ ,” she responds, confidently. Regina shakes her head, a smile tugging at her lips before she looked back at Emma. Emma didn’t need words to know that face and what it meant. “You gotta give me credit. I surprised you pretty good, didn’t I?” she asked. Regina pursed her lips, trying hard and failing to suppress a smile. Emma snorts a laugh as she runs her fingers along Regina’s side, eliciting a giggle from her. There was something during one of their late night talks, Regina had admitted to. She was ticklish. Deathly so.

Emma continued to lightly tickle all over Regina’s smooth skin and listened to the way Regina’s laugh remained so, controlled and yet, so young in tone and in feeling that Emma had stopped, shocked by the sheer beauty of the woman’s laughter. As it slowly subsided, Emma looked at her for a moment longer before she reached for Regina’s hand and held onto it. She said nothing more as she switched the gears and put her hand to the wheel. Emma drove them out of the parking dock and towards some place Regina was familiar with, for lunch.

Tito’s Tacos.

After ordering six of them, Emma then walked with Regina towards a park. She set out a blanket and they sat there, eating their tacos and downing their respective drinks. As many questions as Emma would want to ask, she’s more than happy to just sit there, or lay there and watch Regina eat and enjoy herself. And if she actually thought about it, she was pretty caught up on everything with Regina at the moment, so they probably could use the calm, silence.

Some time passes as they finish up their food and share glances at each other, but for the most part, they blush and hold one another’s stares. Regina pulled out a pad and pen and wrote something down before she slid it over to Emma.

_ Why didn’t you tell me you were coming back today? _

“Because I wanted to surprise you. I knew how we both felt about how long my job keeps me away from home, so I figured I’d do something nice for my new friend… oh, and my dad approves of you now,” the blonde adds, rolling her eyes and grinning. Regina snorts a laugh and nods back at her. She scribbles something else down and lets Emma read it over.

_ So, you and Ruby planned it?  _ came the question and at first, Emma looked like she may have been conflicted with answering it, but she shook her head.

“Since I found out when I was coming back, I had planned it. I actually asked her at the last minute and got lucky that you were off today. I was originally gonna drive to BAR and come see you, but then I thought about how many of your co-workers might tease you about it or think I let my girlfriend sell herself for a living, when I could take care of her,” the blonde rambled, not realising two things, she’d managed to call Regina her girlfriend, by implying they must somehow look and/or act like a couple. And she’d upset Regina. When she looked back at the brunette and saw the stony eyes, her face sagged. “What did I say? Did I say something wrong?” she asked hurriedly, but by the way Regina’s face twitched almost painfully, Emma wasn’t so sure she would get an answer. But then Regina picked up the notepad and furiously scribbled something down.

_ Let me sell myself for a living? _ came the clearly annoyed question. Emma swallowed thickly before she shook her head.

“I’m sorry, wrong choice of words.. I just meant-,” she tried but paused, scratching at her head. “-I’m not good with my words. But I just meant.. God, I don’t know what I meant. I just...sorry,” she muttered before falling onto her back and covering her eyes. Regina’s face softened drastically, realizing it was a slip of the tongue for Emma and clearly she hadn’t meant it the way Regina took it. She reached over, slowly prying Emma’s hands from her eyes and giving her a reassuring smile. She mouthed the words,  _ it’s okay _ to the woman before her but Emma huffed.

“Are you sure?” the blonde asked and Regina nodded at her. Regina then mouths  _ I’m sorry _ to her, watching the way eyes widen and Emma sits up straight, shaking her head in the negative at the young brunette. “You have nothing to apologise for. I don’t have the right filter and sometimes I don’t realize what I say until it’s too late. I wasn’t trying to insult you, I was just trying to.. I dunno, protect you I guess,” she admits dejectedly. Regina nods at her writing out a response and handing it to her. 

_ I understand. It’s okay, but I agree. Most of my co-workers are already under the impression that you are in fact my girlfriend. This was a much better choice. Trust me. _ she winked, watching Emma blush a deep shade of red. 

“Good,” she responded, her cheeky smile coming back.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

After the slight hiccup, and a bit more conversation about life at random- Emma had told Regina she brought her a gift and Regina seemed surprised until Emma pulled it out and the young brunette nearly choked at what Emma gave her.

“It’s nothing big,” Emma had shrugged sheepishly, but Regina gaped at her as if she were crazy, dropping it on the blanket and furiously scribbling her response.

_ Why would you buy me something like that?! It must have been expensive! You can’t give that to me! It’s too much, Emma. Take it back!  _ the panicked note read, but Emma shook her head and took it from its box before she got up on her knees, responding to Regina as she unclasped the necklace she bought for her.

“Price doesn’t concern me. You’re my friend and I bought it for you because I wanted to buy something for you. I wanted you to have a souvenir from Colorado.There’s no underlying reason. I just wanted to buy you something nice and I can and will give it to you-,” she continued as she draped the thin roping over Regina’s very pronounced decolletage. The young brunette’s fingers held it in place even though she wanted nothing more than to tell Emma no. “-and the only way I’m taking that back is if you tell me you absolutely hate the jewel setting I picked and want a completely different one.. Other than that, nope. It’s yours. Your name’s on it. You are gonna keep it,” she told her with a raised brow and solid smirk plastered on her face. She sat by Regina’s side once again and looked at her. Regina continued to gape until Emma said “The earrings for it are still in the box too. They’re simple knobs, but they’ll look nice on you,” she adds, but Regina can only sit there, shock on her face, mouth hung open, eyes stunned wide. Emma snaps her fingers, hoping to pull her from the trance, succeeding when Regina blinks rapidly before she reaches for her pad and pen. She takes longer to write this message down.

_ How did you… why did you buy this for me? What made you..why? _

“Well, let’s see. I was going to bring you a souvenir either way and I was looking at a bunch of stuff but everything was so cliche. It was t-shirts and keychains and all of that stuff and I wanted to get you something different. I mean, I still bought you a keychain, but I wanted something with a little more meaning.. If you look at yours, it’s an emerald and it’s in half of a heart,” Emma told her before reaching into her shirt and pulling her own out. “I have the other half of the heart and it’s the chocolate diamond. I chose our eye colours because like us, they’re different, but they compliment each other really well..and if you put em together-,” she said, her voice dropping as she inched closer and gently set the stones against their corresponding sides, completing the heart and forming something completely different. “-they form a figure eight… It took me forever to find the perfect thing, and I hope you like it because I liked picking it out.”

 

 

_ “Hi there young miss, can I help you with something?” the much older gentleman had asked Emma after she stepped into the store. Emma jumped and turned to face him. She took his appearance in quickly. He was fairly tall, somewhat built, but his hair was ash white and his eyes were clouded from years of living on this earth. She fumbled for a moment as she thought of whether or not he actually could help her. _

_ “Uhhh, actually.. Yeah. I have a friend back home and I was wondering what the best gift would be to give her. It’s kind of short notice, but I wanted to bring her a souvenir,” she explained and the man had nodded as he thought about a suggestion. _

_ “Ahh, yes. How old is she?” _

_ “Younger than I am, that’s all I can tell you,” she says honestly, partly because she doesn’t know Regina’s age. _

_ “And you areeee?” he stretched and she blushed. _

_ “Twenty seven,” _

_ “My goodness, no! You look so young!” he complimented and Emma blushed even more. _

_ “It’s just good genes,” _

_ “Hmmm,” he hummed before continuing. “So, this friend of yours. Is she special?” _

_ “Well, yeah of course she’s special,” Emma told him. He smirked. _

_ “Are you two close?” _

_ “I’d like to think we are,” she admitted as she watched him walk behind the counter and pick something out before putting it back _

_ “Well, let’s see. We can do a package for her,” he offered. _

_ “Package?” _

_ “Yes, come. I’ll show you,” he told the young woman and she nodded before following along. She couldn’t afford to be skeptical with this man right now. She needed something and she needed it fast, but she also needed it to be nice and well made. Something that wasn’t cheap and.. Clearly showed that it wasn’t a rushed attempt, because- truth be told, Emma had been looking for the better half of an hour and some change for the best gift. And that was just today. All the days prior, she’d been all over, looking and searching and nothing caught her eye, but here she was. In a jewelry store. _

_ Emma quickly learned exactly what he meant by package, and she had to admit, it was the perfect choice for the occasion. The old man had showed her many different sets, but only one in particular caught her eye because of what it showed when two halves were put together. She immediately became drawn to it, asked him about the stone settings and engraving only to find out all of that could be done, and that little old man was fast at his job. Skilled beyond measure but very critical of his own etchings and centering. As he worked, he asked Emma questions and listened intently at the way she praised Regina, talked about Regina and gushed over Regina. The old gentleman merely hummed and nodded, smiled and commented when he was sure he should. _

_ “Ahhh, so you shortened your time for work to go back home to her?” he had asked her at one point and she paused. Emma didn’t read deeply into the question when she responded with a simple, _

_ “Yes.” She was a bit naive when it came to implications that related to her and Regina. They were friends and she was going home to see her because she missed her a lot. That was a simple enough thing to grasp, but the way Emma talked of her would lead anyone to believe otherwise.  _

_ She watched him put it together and wrap it all up before handing it to her in a hard paper bag that was red and glossy. _

_ “Thank you so much for your help,” she told him but he shook his head. _

_ “It’s all fine and well, I do hope she likes it,” he whispers gently. She grins. _

_ “I’m sure she will.. I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name,” she apologised. She extended her hand to shake his and he took hers within his own before shaking and smiling. _

_ “It’s Marco, dear girl,” _

_ “Thank you Marco. I’m Emma,” _

_ “It was nice meeting you miss Emma. Your lady is a lucky woman,” he grinned but Emma blushed and shook her head. _

_ “No.. I’m the lucky one,” she said. She didn’t have the heart to correct him when she finally caught on to his words. _

 

“-and, yeah. That’s how I got it before I got back,” she recapped and Regina had a smile on her face. She wrote down her response and slid the pad over.

_ I’m 23.  _ It said and Emma blushed.

“Sorry, I didn’t know, but at least I got that you were younger than me right,” she shrugged gently and Regina smirked. She wrote down another note and rested it in Emma’s lap.

_ So, now a little old man thinks we’re together as well and you telling him you’re the lucky one made him believe it even more! _ it read and Emma could tell Regina was being sassy and teasing her. She turned red with a blush and shrugged.

“I couldn’t crush him like that. He looked so happy for us,” she whined playfully only to see Regina giggle at her before yawning. “Crap, I forgot. Ruby told me you were tired, and it’s getting late.. It’s almost eight. We’ve got to get going.”

Emma got up and so did Regina. She watched the blonde fold away the blanket and walk up to her car before shoving it into the trunk and getting in. Regina followed suit and buckled up. Helplessly, she yawned and yawned and yawned, causing Emma to look over on more than one occasion. As Emma drove, she spoke in question,

“I know this might seem like I’m jumping or that I want something when I don’t.. But umm, my hotel room isn’t that far from here. Do you wanna stay the night and get some rest? We’re a good ways away from your neighbourhood and you look like you’re gonna pass out any second,” she offered. Regina lazily looked over at Emma before holding up her finger and pulling out her phone. She scrolled through her contacts and shot a text out to Ruby.

_ I don’t think I can stay awake much longer and Emma says we’re far from home. Do you think you could watch him for the night for me? _

Immediately there’s a response.

 

**Yeah, sure. Just be safe and get some rest. I’ll keep an eye on him.**

_ Thank you, Ruby. Sweet dreams _

**Lol, same to you, hun.**

 

Regina then looked back at Emma and nodded. Her smile was sloppy and her eyes were drooping, but she had responded and Emma punched the gas a little harder so that they could get there and inside as quickly as possible. She pulled up and into the hotel parking lot and grabbed her duffel from the trunk before she opened Regina’s door and lifted her out. The brunette had completely fallen asleep and Emma had to lift her bridal style out of the car. She shut the door with a bump of her hip and went inside the lobby area. The receptionist who was there almost every time she stayed was standing behind the counter, smirking at her.

“Good night, Emma. So nice to have you staying with us again,” he said and she cracked a smile at him.

“Hey Donny. Same room?” she asked him and he pursed his lips before grinning.

“You know we don’t rent out your room to anyone else. Your boss owns that room and pays less for it that someone does with rent,”

“This is news to me,”

“It shouldn’t be. He pays maybe $600 for us to hold the room for the entire year…”

“Riiight, I keep forgetting he’s really good friends with the owner.. Anyway, key?” she asks and he immediately hands her a fresh one.

“Always ready for you.. Question, who is our mystery woman?”

“She’s a friend,” Emma told him seriously and his cheeks tinted pink with amusement.

“ _ Just _ a friend?”

“Yes Donny. Just a friend. Why? Have any girls you wanna sign me up with?”

“Oh, God no. Besides, aren’t you still with your baby faced girlfriend. What was her name..hmm,”

“Ciara, and no,” Emma said, slightly shifting Regina’s weight in her arms. “She cheated, I broke up with her and all my shit is in storage because I don’t have an apartment of my own,”

“Yikes!” he commented with a slight hiss and Emma huffed but nodded.

“Yeah, that’s my life.. Anyway, thanks for the key Donny, good night,” she told him as she turned to leave and he responded in kind.

Emma got into the elevator with Regina and got into the room easily before she set the woman down on the bed and covered her up. She sat at the edge and sighed gently, brushing curls away from Regina’s face and whispering to her.

“I’m so sorry this is what your life came to, but it will get better, and I’ll do everything in my power to help make it better. I promise,” she told the sleeping form before leaning down and pressing her lips to the side of Regina’s head. The young brunette stirred slightly, her eyes fluttering open as Emma pulled back and she looked over at her. The blonde woman before her was just watching her as she sat up and pressed her back against the wall. Regina looked around for something to write on and Emma jutted her chin towards the bedside table. Regina quickly scribbled something out and showed her it.

_ How long was I out? _

“Not long. We’re in my room. You can look around if you want. There’s food in the kitchen and the bathroom is over that way. I’ve got clothes and stuff in the closet because I stay here well, as of late, I’ve been staying here a whole lot. If you want something comfortable to sleep in, you can go through my t-shirts and whatever else to change, but I have to have a meeting with my boss in a little bit and then take a shower and we have to go out tomorrow to buy your dress for the dinner with Angel,” she reminded only to see Regina’s eyes go wide for a moment. “You forgot, didn’t you,” she said more than asked and Regina nodded quickly. “It’s okay. We’ll get you a dress tomorrow and figure out the rest. I already asked Ruby to give you tomorrow off and don’t worry, I’ll pay you the difference on your shift time before you go. If that’s too much, I can just tell Angel we’ll meet for an early dinner that way you can get to your shift in time. Whichever works for you,” Emma rambles. Regina grabs hold of her arm and she stops. The brunette looks at her somewhat shocked still, but she swallows and inches closer to Emma, holding the pad and pen in hand. Emma watches Regina’s hand draw her letters against parchment and then gently slide it over to her.

_ I don’t want you to pay me anything for tomorrow. If tomorrow is another day off, it’s another day off. I still have to get paid for that day off. Oddly enough it works for prostitution rings as well- anyway… We can have dinner with Angel but I have to check on a few things at home tomorrow. Do you think you can pick me up in the afternoon instead? _

“Yeah, of course I can pick you up tomorrow afternoon. We’ll get you fitted and get your makeup and hair done at the same time. There’s this place my mom usually goes- has been going all her life, so they’ll take care of you. And you’re not a prostitute,” she tells her, seeing the levelling look she gets. Emma rolls her eyes. “You’re not and I’m gonna keep telling you that til you realize it,” she says stubbornly only to see Regina smirk at her.

_ Fine _ Regina mouths and Emma grins. The brunette puts her stationery away and hugs Emma tightly before she gets up and takes herself a shower. Emma sets some coffee for them and gets her station prepped for a conference call. 

By the time that’s happened, the coffee is ready and Regina is finished in the shower. Emma and her colleagues get into the jist of things until Regina emerges from the room in nothing but Emma’s old t-shirt and a pair of shorts that were barely noticeable. The bedroom door and the camera line up perfectly, so in any event, they couldn’t have missed Regina at all.

“Ahem,” one of the men says, clearing his throat. It wasn’t to be rude, but it made Emma turn around and jump.

“Regina- hey..coffee’s in the kitchen,” she tells her and the brunette nods before she disappears.  They get back into their discussion but are once again distracted when Regina sets a cup before Emma with cream and sugar and someone on the line comments.

“Hiding the new girlfriend from us, Em?” which in turn causes the blonde to freeze in fear. Regina pauses as well before she and Emma share a look. Emma looks apologetic and Regina looks just as much sorry for interrupting.

“She must be the shy type,” some one else had said. Considering her colleagues were a fair mix of men and women- all from different ethnic and racial backgrounds, it could be any one of them if their voice wasn’t distinctive enough- who made the comments.

“Can we calm down and get back to the matter at hand?” Mister Jones questioned and for the most part, they straightened up. He may have been curious as well, but he knew when to ask a question like that. “Now, current projects running?”

“Five,” someone answered.

“Current statuses?”

“All in progress, two going slower than predicted. One well on its way to being finished early and the other two are right on schedule,” someone else riddled off.

“Any rainy day possibilities?”

“So far- none.. Both construction and weather should be able to last the week,” another member of their team reported.

“Any propositions?”

“Oh boy. At least fifty- maybe more. Most of ‘em are reno jobs, not so much architectural design-,”

“-Mmmm. Keep them on file. We have companies who do the reno jobs, let’s not forget. If there’s someway we can get these requests done even without architects being needed, it helps another business make money. Start assigning jobs based on specialty and speed-,”

“-yessir,”

“Percentages?” Mister Jones asks.

“Up by two percent,”

“And stocks?” he questions once more.

“Up by four,”

“Good. When is Emma due to sign off on project Balance?”

“At the initial end date of the original plan, sir,”

“Good. Emma- did you hear that?”

“Yes sir I did,”

“Good.. what else is there?” he asked and Emma found herself and colleagues lost in jargon as Regina cooked something of actual substance for Emma to eat. Once again, they’re distracted when Regina sets the bowl of hot food before her and gives her something cold to drink. She’s barely spotted in the frame this time and that’s a good thing, because she has on her glasses and her hair is pulled out of her face and Emma didn’t know she wore glasses, but then again, Regina probably didn’t know that Emma wore glasses either because when they look at each other with their respective lenses, Emma’s cock reacted to how cute and fuckable Regina looked and Regina would be lying if she said her lower region hadn’t pulsed with need.

“Ummmm,” someone mumbled and Emma turned back to the screen for a split second before she turned back to Regina- said,

‘Thank you’- to her and inched up to kiss her cheek. Emma then sat back down and began to eat.

“Yuuup, definitely hiding the new girlfriend,” her colleague teased and she turned a slight shade of red. Mister Jones rolled his eyes and tried to continue the meeting, but everyone had begun complaining how Emma’s girlfriend has her spoiled, bringing her coffee and dinner and all that jazz. She could have said that if they all weren’t hellbent on living alone because ‘relationships are too hard to deal with’ then maybe they’d have somebody too. But she held her tongue and ate her food, which was amazing by the way. The meeting continues and Emma excuses herself to wash up the dishes and check on Regina who had been sat in the living area, waiting on her, but by the way she was nodding off in her chair, Emma needed her to rest. As she sat at her work station, dealing with the meeting still, Emma paused to speak to Regina. It wasn’t unusual that they all would get up to move around or do something. Most of their meetings took place after they got off from work and were in the comfort of their respective homes. It made it easier than trying to wrangle everyone for a board meeting. These types of meetings had managed to help them get more accomplished than originally expected, and had helped their relationships with one another, improve. Funnily enough, Emma had just suggested they give it a try on a whim.

“Regina.. Hey sweetie, why don’t you go to bed, I’ll be done in a little bit,” she whispered from her spot at her work station. Regina couldn’t find anything to help her respond to Emma with, so she just nodded, drowsily got up from her chair and went over to Emma before she bent to kiss her cheek and Emma kissed hers. Emma rubs her back gently and tells her to go, but Regina pretty much falls asleep right on the spot. Emma sighs and pulls her into her lap, scoots closer to the desk and just holds Regina as she continued on with her meeting. She heard some awww-ing and ‘show us her face’ kind of chants, but they were more jealous than anything at how cute it was. Emma was working and holding her little lady in her lap and it was  _ cute _ . Only thing is, Regina wasn’t her lady and she’s glad Regina was drunk with sleep because if she heard how many times they referred to her as Emma’s girlfriend, she may have blown up on someone.

The meeting turns into another success and they can all go pass out in their own beds. Emma takes Regina into the room and tucks her in before she takes a shower and climbs into bed. She shuts the lights out and shoots Ruby a good night text and a thank you and tells her mother she’ll be seeing them tomorrow.

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

It was easy to sleep in the hotel bed. Very easy to sleep in it. All you needed was for it to be the right amount of warm and the right amount of soft to fall asleep and stay asleep, and this bed had all of that. Emma stretched languidly and sighed gently as her eyes opened to the illuminated room. The sun was bright and high in the sky and the faint sounds of her hotel neighbours started to come alive in her ears. She stretched again, yawning like a cat before she sat up and stood. She looked down to see that her cock was standing at attention and then she remembered, she had one of  _ those _ dreams.

It wasn’t unusual for her to have a sex dream. And ever since she met Regina, they’ve been frequent, some more detailed and raunchy than the previous. Thankfully, none of them had been about Regina as of yet, because she’s still embarrassed and disturbed by herself for masturbating after meeting the woman the first night. That, and Emma’s positive she wouldn’t last if her resolve was already faint where Regina came into play. But, she couldn’t help it and she knew she couldn’t stop it even if she said she could. Regina had only had to sit on her lap and it made every part of Emma react. She remembers feeling the stunned pleasure jolt through her that brought it alive. Maybe it had been the fact that someone else hadn’t touched her in six months, maybe not- because she’s masturbated a lot during that time period away. The distinct pulsing need that edged its way towards the tip of the shaft was what made her dizzy. The way it pressed agonizingly against both her thigh and her jeans is what made her squirm and groan. The painfully good feeling she got from having to delay relieving herself is what she ended up looking forward to when she could be alone and could watch it jerk with power from her hand tugging it upward and pushing a climax. Not admitting that she had in fact pre-cummed on the initial stroke of Regina’s body against it, is what made Emma panic that she may have stained her jeans and not noticed. But it all came tumbling down in the best and worst way. The thoughts rushed back when she was in the shower. She’s still not sure if she was crying because she was pissed at Ciara or because of her guilt over masturbating to the thought of Regina. Emma’s not sure any part of her can answer that question truthfully, but she knows that was a violent orgasm and that type of thing has never happened before. Ever.

 

She sticks her hand into her sweats and pushes it down, hoping it would ease in the next few minutes, but simply doing that made her stifle a moan. It was the most sensitive part of her and she hated it as much as she loved it. Before she could do much else to attempt to ease the veiny pulse of the cock in her hand, she heard shifting in the bed and turned around. Regina was stirring gently and let out a strangled breath as her face rubbed lightly against plush pillows. Emma stopped her movement and watched Regina, her hair was fluffy and unkempt at the moment, but she looked even more beautiful. She snored just a little and her eyebrows were etched in relief. She was getting good rest and Emma could tell just by the gentle rise and fall of her chest that she was perfectly fine. She debated whether she should wake her or let her sleep until she came to, but then Emma remembered Regina had said she needed to check in on something at home, and she seemed adamant about doing that as well. The blonde sighs before she pulls her hand out of her pants, letting it snap back with a light sound and makes her way around the bed before she kneels down. She gently prods Regina’s side, waking her easily and frightening her just the same. Regina flinched in her spot before she noticed it was Emma, backing away, standing and putting her arms up in a show of not being any bit as dangerous as her fear initially had her thinking.

“I’m sorry. I just wanted to wake you and take you home. You said you had something to check on, remember?” Emma quickly explained, hoping to remind Regina of not only where she was, but what she said she had to do. Regina nodded a little too quickly for Emma’s liking, almost as if she still didn’t trust her. “It’s just me. I promise. It’s just Emma- see,” she made motion, pinching herself and slowly stepping forward. Regina sighed deeply, her chest heaving still from the initial bout of unwanted excitement. She nodded again, this time, much more softly. Much less fearful and a lot more aware. She swallowed lightly before nodding a bit more confidently and reaching out a hand for Emma. The blonde took the open invitation to sit on the bed, noting the way Regina’s pout came into play before she mouthed the words ‘I’m sorry’. But Emma shakes her head.

“There’s no need for you to be sorry. Trust me, I’m not offended. I get it. I really do. But, you might wanna get up, it’s a little after eight. I know you said you wanted to check on your home, so- take a bath and I’ll make you something to eat and then take you home, okay?” is her suggestion and Regina gently falls back against the sheets, her eyes shutting as she nods gently. Emma smiles before she gets up and heads out of the room and towards her kitchen.

Regina finds herself sighing, and she has no clue why she is. Everything is perfect between her and Emma.. or at least, it should be. But Regina has secrets. She’s always had secrets and one of the secrets was back at home, waiting for her- just so he could look at her with that confused face, filled with innocent curiosity of who she is and then slowly realizing he knows her. He’s always known her. But she’s pulled from that thought process when Emma gets back into the room and looks at her for a moment.

“Uhh, I forgot to ask.. What do you eat for breakfast?” she queried, but Regina shrugged. She scribbles her response down on the pad and holds it up, watching Emma close the distance to read it. Emma’s fingers wrap around Regina’s and the notepad and based on the slight flinch in Regina’s reaction, Emma concludes that affection with Regina was something that may have been foreign. Either that, or the brunette is simply shy in that department as well..  _ Hmm, the second option is more plausible. I mean, she tackled me with a hug when she saw me.. _

 

_ I never ate breakfast much growing up. And as an adult, I haven’t been able to truly change that. _

 

“Oh,” Emma says dejectedly. She looks at Regina who is shaking her head and smiling at her. Regina stands up and walks out of the room, motioning that Emma follow her and the blonde does. Emma watches as Regina just pulls some eggs and whole wheat bread out. She rifles through and finds bacon and rests that on the counter along with everything else. She spins around to scribble something onto the notepad before she slides it over to Emma.

 

_ How about I help you make breakfast this morning? _ It had asked, and she watched Emma grin widely.

 

“Yes, I’m all for that. Can you cook?” she found herself questioning the woman and based on the raised brow of confidence and the smirk that was more than carved into something just as dominating, Emma concluded Regina definitely knew how to cook. “How are you so beautiful with that scary look on your face?” she ended up whispering in question, causing Regina’s sculpted brow to furrow in surprise and her eyes went wide, almost doe like. As if she..

_ Shit, she heard me _ . “Sorry,” the blonde muttered but the woman before her shook her head, smiled and looked at her expectantly. Emma rises from her spot and moves to help Regina make breakfast.

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

After the pair cook and eat and take their respective showers, Emma takes Regina back home just as the brunette had asked her to. She pulls up in the suburban area that Regina had guided her to the first night before she parked her car and cut the engine. Regina looked over at her, confused for a moment, but she let it go. Whatever Emma was about to do, couldn’t have been bad. Looking at her watch before she spoke, Emma craned her neck in contemplation.

“Hey, what time do you want me to come get you? The dinner is around eight, but to get you a dress and get your hair done might take about three hours,” Emma spoke. Regina sat there for a moment, a heavy sigh escaping her as she thought of the best possible time. It was currently just a little after ten, so she would have a good few hours to spend with him, and she already has Ruby there- agreeing to look after him once more for her, so she’d be fine to go closer to the time than leave earlier and spend less with him. Emma might be a very important person to her, but he existed before she did.

So, Regina puts up four fingers and Emma nods.

“Cool, want me to bring you anything for lunch?” she hears the woman ask but she shakes her head. “You sure?” Emma asks, just to make sure because Regina’s the type to go hungry instead of seem like she’s leeching off of someone. The young brunette nods at her and they both share small smiles. “Okay, guess I’ll see you later..” she trails before she watches Regina’s smile crack wider and then the young woman before her is exiting the car. Emma then gets out of her car after and waits for Regina to round it so that she can give her a hug goodbye. When they embrace, Emma immediately knows she’s made a poor, fashion mistake earlier.  _ I should not have worn these fucking cotton sweats _ she grouses to herself. Why? Well, simply because when she and Regina hug one another, Emma’s just tall enough that the shaft of her cock presses gently against the top of Regina’s sex. And that’s enough to rouse the sleeping giant, causing it to gently pulse against both her pants and Regina. 

_ Fuck me! _ She feels Regina tense for a moment, more than likely confused by whatever the fuck that is pushed up against her, but then, Regina pulls her closer, shifting slightly and that makes it worse, but better?  _ Fuck, no- no no! God that feels good- shit, wait! No! _ But, then Regina lets go and smiles at her and the smile is innocent as fuck until her eyes glance down and blast wide open.  _ Fuck, that’s not why she was hugging me that way! _ Emma screams inside of her head. Regina was hugging her because of affection, not to feel that stiffening rod poke at her for attention. Emma’s mouth is agape with what looks like amazement masked within a silent scream of embarrassment. Regina’s head slowly raises, a questioning look adorning her beautiful features. Emma watches her swallow before twisting her lips in such a way that it looks as though she’s trying to muffle a possible snicker.  _ That’s even more embarrassing, she probably thinks I’m some sex addict who can’t control her penis! _

“I’m sorry, it’s just.. It’s really sensitive. I shouldn’t have.. I mean I should’ve tucked- I mean.. I’m sorry. I’ll strap it down next time,” she riddles out before swallowing thickly and looking either past Regina or through Regina. Whatever amount of looking she does has Regina putting her slender fingers to Emma’s chiseled jawbone and shifting her gaze back to meet her eyes. It takes no words at all, but a look. One she cannot describe where she knows Regina is telling her it’s not that big of a deal, that it doesn’t matter, that she is not going to strap a part of herself down and away simply because of their moment earlier. The look she gets encompasses enough that she understands just a wee bit better. Regina doesn’t care. She doesn’t mind. It doesn’t bother her. 

And God damn is that a good thing!

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“I swear, every time I see you now you have some goofy ass smile on your face,” Ruby teases her as she manages to get inside and lock her front door. Regina shrugs helplessly, her cheeks burning from knowing Ruby was right, but a smile of megawatt proportions is there just the same. “How was it?” the older brunette questioned. Regina turned slightly and grinned before nodding emphatically. “That good huh? I’m happy for you,” she tells her genuinely and Regina could do nothing but nod. Ruby walks towards her, her head tilting and eyes flashing with a newness of her catching something. Slowly and gently, her fingers lock around Regina’s necklace as she holds the jewel up and looks on, impressed beyond measure. “I take it she gave this to you?” she asked only to see Regina use her free hand to tuck her hair behind her ear, putting her earring on display. Ruby’s eyes went just a tad bit wider. “And the earrings?” she adds and Regina nods before she holds up her notepad, clearly her response had been written prior to.

 

_ Emma bought it as a gift. I have one and she has the other. The pieces fit together like a puzzle and they form a figure eight. She chose them because of our eye colours and she said she wanted to get me something nice.. My name is on it too-  _ it read and Ruby stopped for a moment to assess it.

“It is _ ,”  _ she whispers before she continues to read.

_ -she said the only way she was returning it is if I hated the setting, but that it was mine to keep. We went to Tito’s, talked for hours. She had a conference call and her employees assume I’m her girlfriend- _ Ruby smirked at that.

“Everyone does,” she comments.

- _ I cooked her dinner and we went to sleep. We made breakfast, she brought me back. I’m leaving at around four to get a dress and she’s taking me to get my hair done.. Now, enough about that.. How was he and how were you? Were there any issues? Was he difficult? How was his breathing and his sleep pattern? _

 

“He was perfect, I was fine. Trust me. You never have to worry about it. He’s too much like you to be anything else but quiet and compliant. We had no issues and his breathing was a little heavier than normal but I just turned him on his side and he was fine. He slept straight through the night, but woke up at like the asscrack of dawn, though. He wasn’t very hungry, but he still ate everything I fed him. That’s all. And since that’s all, can we  _ please  _ have a miniature nap time like right now. Or- you know, can I have one and you go check on him and spend some time with him because I’ve never had to get up this early for anyone to do anything,” Ruby complained. Regina shook her head, then she nodded before Ruby sighed gratefully and collapsed on the couch. The brunette made her way into the room and looked at him. He was asleep once again. Something he ended up doing quite a bit. Usually it was because he’d risen early on those odd mornings when he should have been able to sleep in until that particular time that Regina had walked in. She scratched her forehead before toeing her shoes to the corner and climbing into the bed.She didn’t succumb to sleep though. She instead watched him and waited for the moment he would rouse from slumber so that she could look at him with a love so encompassing, it was enough for many.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“Explain to me how you managed to get your client to offer a dinner as a thank you for helping him with a design,” Mal commanded of her daughter and Emma huffed.

“Regina helped me figure out exactly what Angel wanted and as a thank you, he practically begged me to tell Regina he wanted to take us to dinner just because of it,” she answered.

“Mmmm, and how do you propose you’ll explain her profession to him?” her mother pushed and she shrugged.

“Why would I have to? He just wants to thank her for the design. That’s it,”

“That may be true, but Emma, to make small talk- you are asked what your profession is amongst many other things. My question to you is- what will Regina- or rather, what will  _ you _ tell Angel her profession is? What will you tell him when he asks where she schooled, how she grew up- things like that?” her mother continued and she swallowed thickly.

“I don’t know, mom. But I’m not gonna lie to him,” she answers a lot more set. Mal sighed.

“I never said to lie. I just want to know how you intend to protect her, knowing that there  _ is _ no way to protect her,”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it,” is what she settles for saying only to hear her mother pretty much huff with annoyance.

“Fine,” the woman settles for saying. “I take it you’re going to doll her up for the evening and make her look like one of the rich and famous,” she added, not questioning in the slightest, because she knows her daughter.

“Well, yeah. Why not?” Emma questioned. Mal shrugged beside herself.

“Why not indeed,” she agreed. “Well, since this is happening and your father told me about your impassioned speech over her, I want pictures of the two of you. And wear a suit,” she added, sensing the immediate eye roll from her child.

“Do I ever wear anything else?” the younger blonde smirked.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

In the midst of all the good moments of the day, time rolls around for Regina and Emma to go pick up her dress. After hugging both him and Ruby goodbye until later, Regina went out to the other side of the suburb to meet Emma who was parked and waiting patiently on her. Even though she told Emma not to get her lunch, the blonde had still brought snacks. Just healthy ones. They don’t do much of anything on the ride over, but Regina doesn’t mind that because the scenery is absolutely breathtaking. Skyscrapers and high rises meld into the uniformity of a city, sitting in the future of engineering and architecture. Statues, carved into life size animations that still tell stories without the words, pilfer by in her eyes as the cars zooms past the display.

And then it all comes to a calming halt as Emma parks the car and they step out. Regina is immediately intimidated by the overly pristine looking store that clearly catered to those who had money to afford it on a whim.

Then it becomes somewhat nerve wracking for the brunette who, never had this kind of experience and opportunity. Regina has some style, but a sense of style is far from her. So, when she and Emma enter and her sense of sight is assaulted by what seems to be an endless bunch of columns filled with dresses and suits, Emma has to press a gentle hand to her lower back and guide her through and towards the counter. Thankfully, when they get there- Emma had riddled off that she told one of the women to just pull a few dresses from the racks and keep them. How the blonde guestimated her size was another thing, but the dresses before her were all beyond beautiful. Sadly, they were beautiful for women in their thirties who were going to important business Galas and balls. Regina and Emma were going to a simple dinner with a pleased client, unless he sprang it on them the last minute that they were attending a charity event.  _ Pfft, I’d be the one the event was for _ she said to herself, rolling her eyes.

“See anything you like?” Emma asked her as she stood back and watched Regina thumb through the dresses before her. They’d already gone through the first set and she hadn’t liked any of them. The brunette turned and shook her head apologetically and Emma smiled. “Good, because I figured you’d have a better eye for picking out what you  _ want  _ to wear, not what you think you have to wear to this dinner.. We’ll keep looking until you find something,” she continued and Regina nodded. At first, it seemed like absolutely nothing was catching her eye or making her contemplate the possibility of wearing any of them, but when she moved further down, her eyes flashed with interest at the knee length dresses that would be fitted to her every curve. Emma grinned. “I think we found your section,” the blonde whispered as she came up closely behind the brunette, her voice low and breath ghosting against the backside of Regina’s neck. Regina felt herself swallow slightly before turning to look at Emma who looked as though she wanted to kiss her, but then Emma reached past her and pulled a dress out. “What about this one?” she suggested, seeing Regina’s eyes dilate before she blinked, turned and looked at the dress a little dumbly. Emma shrugs before putting it back on the rack. “Whatever you find, you can try it on,” Emma reminded and Regina nodded. In that moment, one of the girls came over and Emma turned to her. “Oh, hey.. Umm- whatever dress she picks, could you make sure you get me a tie that matches- I have to go get a suit,” Emma riddled off her request and the woman before her nodded.

“Of course, is there anything in particular your wife is looking for?” she and Regina heard the woman question. Both women had those shocked expressions on their faces, but the woman before them didn’t seem to catch it at all.

“She’s not-,” Emma begins, noting the way the woman’s head tilts almost as if she realizes she mislabelled their relationship.

“-oh dear me. I am so sorry! I didn’t mean to assume,” she apologised profusely, but Emma waved a hand.

“It’s okay, really. We’re having dinner tonight with one of my clients. He wants to meet the other half of the brain who helped me create such a beautiful design,” Emma smirked, seeing Regina blush. The woman before them looked between the two of them and probably had her own thoughts on how they were acting. The way Regina leaned her head on Emma’s shoulder or the way Emma kissed the top of her head and rubbed her arm would be impossible for someone to accept was just a friendly thing between the two of them. But, the woman says nothing. She helps Regina find a dress and Emma finds her suit. The tie is placed within a smaller carry bag, and as the pair exit, Emma says something that has Regina smiling.

“I don’t wanna see the dress until you’re done getting your hair fixed and all of that. I know you picked a good one, but I wanna be just as surprised as someone getting married to the person they love when they see them walking down the aisle.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“Ho-ly. Fuck!” Emma blurts in surprise when Regina steps out of the hotel room. Regina blushes crimson as Emma gapes appreciatively at her. After they’d gotten their clothes for the evening, Emma drove them back to the hotel and had the stylist who usually did her mother’s hair, come in to give Regina the full treatment. She got a wash, treatment, trim, colouring and the most amazing blowout Emma has ever seen.  _ I guess I’m pretty fucking surprised! _ She blurts to herself as she looks on at Regina’s shy smile. The brunette before her has simple makeup that keeps her already beautiful, baby face just as creastless as if she weren’t wearing makeup. Adorning her neck is the necklace Emma bought her along with the earrings that match. Her hair is set in thick, deep and long waves that stop just below her bustline. Her dress was immaculate. It was sleeveless, strapless and fitted to every single inch of her, stopping just shy of her knees. The dark, rich, emerald green material was wrapped right around all of Regina’s curves. There was the tiniest v cleavage, snipped out in the front and a small slit in the back. Her legs were bare of any marks, smooth and creamy, that led right into six inch suede, babydoll pumps. Regina held on to a small clutch that the woman at the store had managed to convince her to get as well as Emma’s tie.

The blonde hadn’t said anything in a good minute and Regina had to wonder if she broke her, but just as quickly as she snapped her fingers at Emma and the blonde registered her trance that bordered on drooling over the woman, she came to and turned a shade so dark, she could pass for having a fever.

“You look so beautiful,” Emma complimented her and saw the way she smiled back as if that validation was the best thing she’s ever gotten. She mouthed a thank you at the blonde and took in Emma’s appearance. Of course Emma looked nice, even if it was just a simple black suit with a white button up on beneath it. The entire suit was tailoured to Emma’s every curve and the pants themselves were taken in to reset the silhouette of a feminine body. This meant that from the knee go down, the legs of the pants were taken in significantly and the tapering of the bottom had been brought up to her ankles.

Emma, instead of wearing heels decided on straight black, wingtip dress shoes, without socks. She knew it may have been a weird choice, but that’s how she’s always worn her shoes. Still, she doesn’t have much time to think about that at all when Regina’s approaching her and coming so close that she can easily lean in to kiss her. She feels the collar of her shirt get lifted and Regina is then draping the tie around her neck before she ties it off and presses her palms gently against Emma’s chest. Emma can read exactly what she says next when she mouths, ‘you look absolutely beautiful’.

“I…” she falters as she blushes. “..thank you… you ready?” she asks because the longer she stays there, the more entranced by Regina she will become

A nod comes and Emma stretches out her arm to escort Regina to the car. She is determined to ignore the knowing look Donny gives her as they make their way outside, but just as she thinks she’s cleared his somber eyes, she catches sight of him giving her a thumbs up and a nod of approval. She doesn’t realize she’s smiling so brightly until she and Regina make it to the car. She shakes her head free of intruding thoughts, opens Regina’s door for her and shuts it before getting in on the other side and driving them towards one of the most expensive restaurants in Boston.

 

When they arrive, they are escorted to their table, Angel is already sat and waiting on them, on his phone- grinning like he was texting someone special.

“Hey Angel, what’s with the red-faced grin,” Emma greeted and immediately his attention snapped away from his phone. He locked it and stood abruptly, a smile on his face.

“Emma- hi! You look amazing,” he compliments and she is blushing yet again. Angel immediately pulls her in for a hug and she concedes. He was an absolute..well, angel. “And the tie- bold choice! Beautiful material and I love the colour. I love it,” he continues but she smirks.

“Actually, you might wanna thank this one for that, considering she picked it out,” the blonde responds before stepping aside and ending their embrace. Angel’s eyes flit for a moment before they land on Regina and he is stunned. Speechless. “Oh..My..word,” he can only whisper. His smile though, it is enough for Regina to know that he believes she looks beyond amazing. Angel places a hand to his heart as he takes Regina in and she manages to hold her smile without turning too red in the face. “Emma, she is gorgeous,” he announces, still awestruck by her. Emma smirks and nods.

“She is, isn’t she?” the blonde questions, knowing the response that will come.

“She truly is… how did you manage to nab such a beautiful woman who compliments you so well?” he questioned and she shrugged.

“I just got lucky, I guess,” is her answer.

“Indeed.. Come- sit- sit! I have so much to ask and so much to thank you for, Regina is it?” he asks the young brunette and she nods gently. He smiles at her as they sit and Regina watches the way Angel snaps his napkin out before placing it across his lap. Her head then turns to Emma who does the same and she’s not one for being so obviously out of the loop, which means she probably should do the same. She does, only to garner Emma’s attention. The blonde gives her a confident and reassuring smile before she leans in to whisper something in her ear.

“It’s fine, whatever you don’t do or do, we won’t get on you for it. Just sit and eat in a way that’s comfortable for you, okay?” her whispered question had asked and she nodded before a small smile appeared on her face. Angel looked on, no doubt a tad jealous of how amazing they looked together, but he admired it just the same. The way Emma placed a gentle hand to Regina’s thigh after she spoke to her, or the way she draped her hand across the back of the woman’s chair, allowing Regina to inch closer to her so that they were practically shoulder to shoulder. Angel didn’t miss a beat of it. Regina rested her head against Emma’s as they looked at the menue and Emma explained what all Regina could have if she wanted any of those things.

He clears his throat and both pairs of eyes snap away from the menue long enough to regard him.

“Not to break up the most adorable display I think I’ve ever witnessed, but, if you don’t mind me asking.. How did you two meet?” Angel queries and immediately Regina tenses at Emma’s side. Her hand blindly reached out for Emma’s thigh, squeezing it gently to let her know she’s afraid, but Emma has the perfect answer for it. “Well, as you know, I had an ex that had been cheating on me during my last business trip and when I came back to Boston, I was a wreck. I didn’t know where I was going or where I’d end up but I ended up parking right outside of BAR.. It’s this place literally named bar because the owner was lazy I guess,” she joked and Angel smirked. Regina’s gripped loosened only slightly as she now turned to Emma and watched her continue on in explanation. “Anyway, I digress. Regina works at BAR, but I didn’t know that at the time. One of her friends knocked on the glass and asked me what was up and after I explained what was going on and told her I just needed someone to talk to, she called Regina. It was the best choice because she sat in my car with me and just let me talk about anything and everything. She didn’t judge me and then we went and got something to eat. The next day, you wouldn’t believe it, but Regina had left her scarf in my car so I had to go back and see her again, and since that, we’ve been in each other’s lives,” she finished. Angel looked, not only impressed, but surprised.

“I guess the stars aligned in your favour, huh,” he commented and Emma nodded before she looked at Regina who was still looking at her.

“And I thank them everyday,” she adds. Regina blushes and looks away slightly, more so at the napkin on her lap than anything else.

“You should.. But before that, can I just say how grateful I am to you both for the design you picked. It’s insane when I think of the dimensions and the proportions of it and for you to tell it can be done in that time frame, has me awestruck,”

“Well, we do have three construction companies working on it and two of our best sculptors. It’ll be finished and then it’ll just need to be assessed and pass inspection for me to put my seal of approval on it,” she relays. Angel hums.

“Surely Regina is signing off on it as well, right?” he asked, looking towards the brunette. Regina falters in her chair before she swallows and holds up a finger. Angel watches with confused curiosity as she pulls a pad and pen from her clutch and begins to write out her response.

“Regina’s.. Shy, Angel, so she doesn’t speak,”

“Oh, I had no idea. I’m so sorry about that,” he apologises but the brunette pauses to look up at him, shaking her head and smiling. She gives him something of reassurance so that he knows it’s okay. She looks back down at her notepad before she finishes her response and lets Angel read it over.

 

_ I won’t be signing off on the project design because I am not employed under the same company as Emma. I work at a bar and was merely helping her figure out what would be a good choice for your business based on your request...it is Emma’s project, therefore her signature will go on it. That, and I’m not so sure that it’s legal for me to have my name on a project belonging to a company where the ideas aren’t to be discussed with anyone else, unless they are employed under them. _

 

“Oh, I didn’t know it was that legally binding,” Angel said in response before he gently put the pad back down. “But, you are with Emma, are you not? She should have some leeway to discuss ideas with you,” he expressed with a tad bit of annoyance. He was more annoyed that it seemed as though partners could not conversate about work in a manner that was deemed unethical.

“No, Angel. Don’t get me wrong, Regina and I can talk about work, but details have to be left out. Like a lot of details. And, we’re not together.. She’s just my friend. A really close friend,” Emma corrected and once again, Angel was surprised.

“Excuse me for assuming.. I just thought that with the way you both were with one another, that you were together. My mistake,” he apologised but Regina grinned and Emma shook her head.

“It’s totally okay, trust me. We’ve been getting that so much lately, it’s kind of normal now,” she shrugged. Angel watched her for about a moment more before he clapped his hands together and spoke

“Well, now that all of that is out of the way, how about we eat, and enjoy the company of one another. Sound Good?” he suggested. Emma looked at Regina who looked at her and nodded with a gently shrug.

“Sounds good,” Emma agreed.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

To say the night went perfectly, would be an understatement. Emma doesn’t have an explanation for how well everything meshed, how easily Angel and Regina got along and how tasty the food was. As her mother had requested of her, Emma took photos of her and Regina throughout the night as well as a few fuzzy shots of Angel. She hadn’t given Regina the heads up that her mother had requested them, but she had a reason for it. She wanted Regina to pick which photos would be sent to Mal.

Coming down to the ending of the dinner, they took a group shot and Angel made Emma promise to send that one to him. He also told her that he wanted to do that kind of thing more often because he owes so much to Emma. And now, Regina as well. She agreed that they could in fact do that again, but that it could be something much more simple and a whole lot lazier if he was up for it. He’d laughed and agreed to that before he hugged them both good night and left. Emma and Regina walk around that part of Boston for a bit until Regina gets cold and Emma has to drape her jacket over the woman’s bare shoulders. They walk back to Emma’s car and Emma takes them back to the hotel for a minute so that Regina can pick up her things. Once inside, Emma calls her over, telling her she needed her help with something. Regina is rightfully confused until Emma says,

“My mom said she wanted pictures of us tonight and when you weren’t looking I took these,” as she pushes the phone over to Regina for her to look at it. It’s a good twenty photos of beautiful shots that have Regina’s smiling brightly, laughing and clutching at her stomach or simply being affectionate with Emma. And then she slides it to the most recent one that has her, Emma and Angel in it and it looks so happy.  _ She _ looks so happy. She hasn’t seen that smile on her own face in so long and to know that it was there because of Emma was beyond her. She catches herself, shakes her head and focuses on the pictures, highlighting the ones she thinks are beautiful, which have more to do with Emma than they do with her, but that’s just it. Emma knows it better than Regina believes it that no matter what picture the brunette chooses, she’s absolutely breathtaking in every single one of them. After Regina thinks she’s found the perfect ones, she slides the phone back over and Emma looks at her for a moment, almost as if she can sense Regina’s hesitation with doing that. “You okay?” she asks softly, jarring Regina from her thoughts. The brunette nods, a smile appearing on her face. “Sure?” Emma reiterates in question and the young woman nods much more strongly at her. “Good, but just a head’s up. If my mom teases us about how cute we look together, I’ll be just as embarrassed by it as you,” she jokes. She’s rewarded with a small smile from the young woman before her. Emma takes a deep breath before she sends the pictures to her mother as well as the group shot to Angel. “Okay, let’s get you home then,” Emma says after she’s done and helps Regina gather her things. She pauses to turn and stare at Regina who is already pulling her hair up into a ponytail. The young brunette pauses to look at her. “You really did look absolutely amazing tonight,” she whispers, putting pause to Regina’s actions. Regina looks away from her, a crimson blush encasing her face as she shakes her head. “Yes you did,” Emma responds, answering her silent disagreement. Regina rolls her eyes but laughs before she picks up the last of her things and packs them away in her bag. She and Emma begin to make their way back downstairs, but are stopped somewhere in all of that.

Emma swears it’s only been five minutes since she sent those photos to her mother, and yet, Mal has already blown up her phone with commentary that goes from,  _ Why were you slouching? She’s beautiful, but why were you slouching? Your suit is immaculate, but once again my child. Why are you slouching? Ohhhh, this one I like. Your posture is clean, it’s a full shot of you both and you both look just as married as your father and I do. _

“Seems mom approves of our pictures,” Emma says almost blandly before she shook her head and showed Regina her phone. Noting the way Regina’s eyes changed motion as she read each response, Emma could tell she was about to laugh. And she did. More so because Mal was asking why Emma was slouching. Emma doesn’t even beg Regina not to laugh because it actually is funny and her reason for slouching was-

_ Regina’s shorter than me. I had to. _

 

 

_ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ _

 

“Tonight was fun. Really fun. Thank you for going with me,” Emma rambled all in one thought, only to see Regina’s brow raise with that sculpted motion and a smirk that was beyond confident grace her face. She nodded back at Emma before she wrote out her response and let Emma read it.

_ I should be thanking you. It was absolutely amazing. Angel is a sweetheart and I can see why he adores you so much. I never had an opportunity like this and I’m beyond grateful it was shared with you. _

 

“I’m glad because I was wondering if you’d wanna do something again tomorrow.. You know, lunch that’s more like dinner?” she suggested in question. Regina quickly wrote out a question of her own.

_ Is the elusive Emma asking me out on a date?  _ It read only for the blonde’s eyes to widen severely before she swallowed and realized. She was.

“I.. I guess I am- but it’s totally your call. We can do whatever you want. I just wanna make sure I get to spend as much time with you as possible,” she laughed nervously. Regina bites her bottom lip before she nods. She types out one more response before they hug one another and say goodbye for the evening.

_ Then I guess I need to prepare for my ‘date.’ _

 

_ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ _

 

“Explain to me how you’ve fallen for this woman already,” Ariel said more than she questioned because she was expecting a response form Emma. She folds her arms as she stares at Emma, daring her friend to deflect the conversation as they sit there at one of Emma’s favourite bakeries, having breakfast.

“I haven’t fallen for her. She’s just become someone really special to me,” Emma explains, pulling apart a warm croissant. She shoves it into her mouth and eviscerates the poor thing as she tries to deny that she even remotely has a thing for Regina. But it goes in vain due to her angry eating.

“Yeah and in all the years I’ve known you and known you and Ciara to be together, this Regina woman surpasses her easily,” Ariel iterates. “And she’s younger than Ciara. That’s what gets to me. You and Ciara aged together, and were supposed to grow together and yet.. She’s like some sugar baby and you’re enabling every stupid thing she wants-,”

“-Wanted,” Emma corrects. “Besides.. I loved her-,”

“-and yet, it wasn’t enough for you to be  _ in _ love with her and make it official until recently. Emma, you trusted Regina quicker than you ever trusted Ciara and would you look at that, Regina’s been proving it to you that your money doesn’t matter to her. She can’t even bring herself to take it when you offer and she freaks out when you by her nice things…”

“They’re two different people,” Emma explains simply and quickly because, well- they are. “Ciara was.. You know and Regina she’s, well… you  _ know _ !” Emma flailed aggressively and nervously as she tried to explain but just couldn’t. Though, lucky for her, Ariel knew.

“Yes, Emma. I think I know. But like I said, Regina surpasses everything Ciara ever did and you haven’t even known her that long. I mean you get turned on when she kisses you on the cheek for Christ’s sake. Could you imagine the load you’ll blow if she kisses you on the lips or something,” her friend teased and she groaned deeply.

“Please don’t give me the image. It’s already hard enough to be around her when she’s as beautiful as she is.. I mean, have you seen the pictures I sent you with the way she looks,” Emma comments before she unlocks her phone and shows Ariel the album she still has on her phone. Ariel rolls her eyes at her best friend because she has seen the pictures and she admitted as much to Eric if she wasn’t married to him or having his kid, she’d have been chasing after Regina too. But, that was an Emma thing for right now and even though he had laughed, he knew she was serious.

“We all agreed she was really pretty, she just looks like she’s your kind of pretty,” Ariel says a bit convolutedly.

“I don’t even know what that means.

“It’s a good thing, trust me. She’s definitely your type and looks like the perfect wife, which is why everyone keeps assuming the two of you are dating, not to mention the way you are with her from what I’ve been told by your mom,” she added. Emma’s eyes widened.

“What the hell did my mom tell you?!”

“Nothing I wouldn’t have seen for myself or assumed. Anyway, where are you taking her?” Ariel reflected and Emma sighed gently.

“Some place warm and quiet. She’s shy so I don’t wanna take her some place that’s gonna make her uncomfortable, you know?”

“Makes sense…” Ariel adds before shifting in her seat a little uncomfortably. She heaves a breath and Emma looks worried.

“You okay there?”

“Yeah, just some cramps, they’ll pass,” Ariel waves off.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, completely.. Anyway, Bastian started at the performing arts school and guess what,”

“What?”

“They asked him to direct a play,”

“Woah, seriously?”

“Uhuh. He said something about the director of the board possibly having a crush on him and that maybe, before he started there-  he might have had a drunken one night stand with her,”

“Well, that’s convenient,” Emma snorts and Arieal grins.

“Oh yeah.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“I’m convinced you’re in love with her,” Ruby commented as she and Regina moved around her bedroom. He was in the living room watching tv and they were busy trying to clean up the place and find Regina something to wear. The comment seemed innocent enough, but Regina knew what Ruby meant. She wasn’t saying it so much as she was asking Regina  _ Are you already in love with this woman? _

Regina turned her head towards Ruby, the obvious question in her eyes asking,  _ why? _ Only to see Ruby shrug and comment. “You guys just act like it. It’s kind of hard not to be under the impression that you are,” she adds for good measure and Regina bobs her head in contemplation at the words. She can see why now, how everyone she’s met thus far has been under that assumption. She and Emma have been glued at the hip ever since they met. Most recently- even more. And just by the dinner the evening before and the pictures Emma sent her that she’s showed Ruby, Regina is really seeing it now just how much they all have assumed that she and Emma were anything more than just friends. She bites her bottom lip for a moment, picking up one of her discarded shirts and folding it before she shoves it into her drawer and shuts that. Ruby brings over two pairs of jeans for Regina to put away in her closet and after that, she gives her a look. The look is somewhat confusing for the young woman who has to wonder whether or not it’s judgment or if it’s just Ruby being Ruby. Regina walks towards Ruby who takes a short step back, her eyes narrowing in on Regina. The younger brunette sticks her hands out for Ruby to take hold of, and when she does Regina smiles. Ruby looks at her and she sees the question in Regina’s eyes, wondering what that look was for.

“I’m just worried about you, that’s all, and in being worried about you, I’m kind of jealous that I’m losing you to her,” she admits before she sees Regina’s eyes harden. They’re telling her she’s not losing her to Emma. Pleading with her to understand that’s not what’s happening but the soft smile that Ruby gives her leads her believe that Ruby doesn’t believe those words. And- “it’s okay.. It was bound to happen. I’m just glad it’s happening with someone who actually cares about you,” she admits before sniffling and finding she was actually about to start crying. Violently, Ruby wiped at her face before she walked around Regina. “Come on, let’s go hang out a little bit before your ‘date’ and shift,” she tells her, not giving Regina the chance to stop her. Regina stands there for a moment, looking at Ruby with eyes that were filled with worry. “It’s fine, I swear it is.. Just come. It’s okay. You’re happy, so that makes me happy.” she says solidly and it’s enough in that moment to make Regina just give in for the time being because she wants nothing more than to make Ruby admit she’s not happy about it. But, Regina also just wants to spend time with them and she goes for the latter rather than the former.

Regina nods slightly before she follows behind Ruby who is already making herself comfortable on the couch, patting a spot for Regina to sit next to her. The younger brunette rolls her eyes before she plops down next to Ruby and feels the older woman wrap her arms around her and pull her in close. 

 

She supposes she could just let it go for the time being.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Regina’s lunch date with Emma goes amazingly, much like all their other outings. Emma picks a place that Regina can be herself, comfortably and without need for much communication between her and whoever might be serving them that evening. She’s not surprised when Emma tells her she only has so long before she has to head back up to Colorado for the final leg of the project. A little less than three weeks to be exact. But it’s not a surprise, because she remembers how many times they’ve talked about it and the conference call Emma had with her boss the other night when she passed out and then again when Angel brought it up. So it’s not a surprise. It’s just an annoyance really.

She is rightfully sad and upset that Emma has to leave once again and it becomes even more obvious in her attitude and facial features. Sometimes she gets cranky and doesn’t look at Emma, or won’t respond to her and other times she’s scowling, not at the blonde, but just scowling in general. And then there are times where you can see it in her eyes how sad she is about the news, so much so- that she isn’t really enjoying her days as much as she used to. But anyone could see that.

It’s obvious in her eyes that begin to get red rimmed as the days come closer and closer to the time Emma has to leave, that it pains her. Emma tries convincing her that it won’t be that long and she knows this for herself that it won’t be long, but she can’t help feeling that something just might go wrong the second Emma leaves. But she doesn’t bring it up or make the worry known. It wouldn’t make sense for her to do it anyway. What could Emma do states away from her, but worry? 

But, Emma tries to make her smile as much as she can before she leaves. They can’t see one another very much as Emma is dealing with other projects as well as other things that require her to be within the office of the company she works for, however- they do set aside two days that Emma is sure she will have off and can stay with Regina all day if she wants. Regina perks up at that because there’s the smallest of some things that exist. Never has she had someone push so much just to see her or be with her and it didn’t scare her as much as it surprised her. Only to make it even better comes when Emma is guilty of one of the sweetest acts and that’s bringing Regina lunch every day or having it delivered straight to her. It hadn’t stopped there either. On every plate of food was a note about how much Emma appreciated her and how amazing she is to her. Along with the sticky notes attached under that, were little drawings. Drawings Emma told her would come together and show her a bigger picture. So, Regina stuck those on her fridge and kept every note in her kitchen drawer, but what she appreciated more was the drive Emma took to come see her every single day that she could and even when she couldn’t- she sent someone, just to make sure she ate and was okay. Even with her wanting to huff and pout and be cranky with her, she just couldn’t because Emma was doing everything in her power to fix it. Rectify what she could with what she had and for all that was holy within the earth, Regina found her heart on the same side of an erratic heartbeat that only intensified when she thought of Emma.

 

During one of their lunch dates, Regina expresses that as much as she appreciates everything Emma is doing for her, it’s just too much and there was nothing she could give her in return. She expresses how guilty she feels for being unable to provide the same pleasures that Emma has been giving her. She expresses that she’s guilty she’s been letting it happen even if it has been letting her see more of the blonde. Every stroke of Regina’s pen against the paper expresses her turmoil because she wants to be happy with getting things. She wants to not complain that all the nice things Emma’s done for her, isn’t worth it because she’s got nothing to give in return. She wants to tell her better, with her words, how much Emma is unaware that what she’s done has managed to save Regina so much because.. Well,  _ His things are expensive _ . But she can’t tell her anything about him. She can’t tell her anything because Emma knew nothing and to this day, Emma, sitting before her- is still completely in the dark about it all. Which makes Regina feel even worse. Her pen pauses to a halt on the paper and looking at it, it only expresses so much of so little. And the little she needed to express much, she was not giving her.  _ How do I tell her he exists when I can’t even speak _ .

 

She thinks it would be easy to just scribble it down on paper and pass it to Emma, but it’s not and it won’t be. She would have to explain. She would have to- to talk about it somehow and Regina doesn’t have the first word towards it. She doesn’t have an explanation that would be simple enough for Emma to grasp and follow. She’s got nothing to give her- and yet, she wishes she knew how to tell her everything.

 

Emma reads the note over and over- and over again. She sees the words, understands the words, and can’t quite believe them. Regina was apologising to her for her being nice. She was guilty that Emma cared enough for her that she did all of that for her and couldn’t give her anything back. Regina was expressing it to her in such a well written and shakily etched out paragraph that Regina would not take advantage of her- ever. She would never take advantage of Emma’s heart or any other part of her because of how important she was to her. Regina’s expression of how amazing Emma was, shocked her. Emma always thought she was the average kind of person. Lovely on most occasions but was more of a one time thing. A one night fling. Until she met Ciara and figured it had changed when it turned into just one really long one night stand, she was convinced that’s how it was supposed to be. But with Regina, it’s not a one night stand, regardless of their clichéd meeting that night. With Regina, it was fresh, it was new. It was something different everyday. Emma saw an independent woman, struggling to make it and survive. She saw a beautiful smile that always ended up glowing when Regina let it be seen. She saw.. Just about everything she thought she could see and still, so much more than she ever asked for. So, Regina wasn’t fully open to her yet. They’ve only been friends for a little over three months, she wasn’t expecting the woman’s entire life story. She just wanted to be her friend and whatever else she was allowed to be to her, should the stars align.

 

“You know, I was worried when your scarf was left in my car that us meeting would turn into some sordid affair of random meetings and whatever else, but I’m really happy where it brought me,and I’m really happy I took it back to you because we never would have been this far, and I never would have had this kind of support. I never would have felt this… at ease, if I hadn’t met you,” she admits during their second lunch date. This one was the most important, because for an entire week, Emma would be gone and it’s the closest one she could get to the time her flight would be called.

They were sat in the terminal having their lunch because Emma’s flight plans had to be changed at the last second and Regina wanted to see her off anyway, so it worked itself out. She watched Regina look away from the crowds that came in, everyone bustling around and chatter echoing in the large place- just to let her eyes settle on the blonde woman before her. Her head tilted only so much as she caught wind of Emma’s words. The blonde before her was smiling and she had no idea why. Her face scrunched up slightly, which only served to make her look as confused as she felt, which in turn had also made Emma laugh.

“Are you okay?” Emma questioned her, reaching out to pinch her nose. Regina sneezed involuntarily before she scowled deeply at Emma who could do nothing but laugh yet again. “I’m sorry, but you looked lost for a moment there,” she commented as she watched Regina wipe her nose and huff. Emma’s head dropped so she could meet Regina’s eyes. “Talk to me.. What’s wrong?” she asked, but Regina shook her head. “It doesn’t look like nothing. You know you can tell me anything,” Emma expressed and Regina knew this. She knew she could, but why express how much you hate that the person who has become to mean so much to you, is leaving for an entire week. Why admit that you don’t want.. That you don’t want...Regina sighed again before she pulled her notepad out and scribbled something down on it. Emma watched her as the brunette stared at the notepad, either hesitant to let Emma see or embarrassed by her own admission. But then she’s pushing it towards Emma and looking at the crowds of people that gather, once again. Emma hesitantly takes it into her hands before she reads the simple sentence on the page, in the middle of the fresh page. Scrawled in that beautiful penmanship, Emma could see see the pain and anger sitting behind it.

 

_ I don’t want you to go _ it read and for all the reasons in the world, Emma couldn’t describe why this hurt her heart so much see it right before her face. She felt herself swallow back a response she didn’t even have as she watched Regina’s tears track streams down her face. Violently, the young brunette wipes them away, but she refuses to look back at Emma, knowing that her tears would rush like waterfalls if she saw Emma’s now stricken face. Emma bites her tongue as she stands and at first, Regina thinks she’s going to leave her right there, but then Emma is settling before her on one knee, determined to rectify the pain. She gently tilts Regina’s head in the direction of her eyes so that brown met green.

“hey,” she whispered to her. “I know this sucks, trust me I know. I don’t wanna go either, but-,” she stops to catch a stray tear. Gently, her thumb strokes it away, but before she can pull her hand back, Regina grabs hold of it, a silent plea for her not to go. It’s only a week and she shouldn’t be this upset, but she is and she has no damn clue why. “-but, I have to, it’s just the last leg and I’ll text everyday. All I’m going to do is sign off on the project after it’s done and come right back. Nothing is being extended, I promise you. I will come back, but in order to come back I have to leave first,” she manages to say before the boarding call comes up and Regina heaves a sigh, an aggravated one at that. Emma looks around for a moment before she looks sadly back at Regina and then she’s pulling her to her feet and embracing her tightly, feeling the woman break quickly once Emma’s arms hold her. But, for as many times as Regina can fall apart, Emma is there to hold her together just as easily. “I’ll come back,” Emma says to her again and she nods beside her better judgment. Regina pulls herself from Emma’s hold and the whole exchange now feels awkward. Their entire moment felt disjointed, but what could she do, Emma’s flight had been called and she had to go.

She’s thinking about it so hard that when Emma kisses her cheek, she’s stunned. Emma’s lips move from her cheek to her neck and the kiss laid there felt different. It felt, claiming. It felt so much more emotional. But it doesn’t last as long as she’d hoped it would because just when she lets go of the awkward feeling, Emma is pulling away from her to look at her once again, the sadness never drifting from her face as she whispers,

“I have to get going, but-,” she reaches into her back pocket. Emma then pulls out her keys and a piece of cardstock. She presses them into Regina’s hands before she speaks. “-these are for you- to help you get around for the week and this- whenever you need groceries, you just call this number and you tell them ‘Emma’s tab’. I know you’re going to try and argue with me over this, but my flight’s here so we actually don’t have that much time.. Still- I want you to have these. It’s really no big deal for me. And I put an extra hundred in the glove compartment for gas in case you need to go out of your regular route, okay?” she asks. Regina nods dumbly because she was caught beyond off guard and doesn’t have an actual argument that would stand up against all of Emma’s points and like the blonde said- they called her flight, which meant she needed to leave. So, instead of arguing with her friend over her reasoning, Regina just takes the keys and cardstock, swallowing thickly as she shoved them away in her pocket. She looked back up at Emma, noting the way the blonde was smiling now- more than likely happy that Regina wasn’t being difficult about it and feeling good because she could do something for her and that just warmed Regina’s heart. Lunging forward, Regina hugged Emma tightly, the silent ‘I’ll miss you’ drifted between them as Emma embraced her back. She pulled away for the final time before she kissed Regina’s forehead.

“See you in a week?” Regina heard her ask and she couldn’t hold back her smile. She felt it illuminate the once dampened thoughts she had. Nodding strongly, she mouths ‘a week’ back at Emma and the call for Emma’s flight comes again. “Shit, I’ve gotta get going. I’ll see you soon, Regina. Stay safe, love you” Emma told her before she waved quickly and began to jog towards her terminal. She looked back just in time to see Regina rise on her tiptoes and wave frantically back at her.

Her heart warmed as she walked from the view of the woman and through to her plane. Once Emma sat in her seat and her heart settled, she felt herself cry.

 

_ I miss her already _ ...wait,  _ Oh shit I told her I loved her! _

 

 


	6. I'm sorry, but

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning people!. I do apologise.

You would think that after Emma and Regina had their moment in the airport, texted the second that Emma landed in Colorado a little over four hours later and stayed up pretty much the entire night texting one another, that everything would be fine. But that was a stretch and a fucking pipe dream. The thought of things being smooth sailing, was a literal, motherfucking pipe dream of epic proportions.

Now, it didn’t start right away- and thank fuck for that, but when the events had hit- they fell down with a vengeance like a god damn hurricane. Emma had gotten to her hotel room all fine and good, the construction was coming to a close and Regina was doing perfect. Their first two days seemed like bliss. It was completely calm to just text and be. Emma had work, but she could stay in the hotel room for as long as she wanted to- and that made it easier for her because she’d video call Regina and just felt comfort in working silently on her next project whilst the woman watched tv until she needed to leave for work.

Then, it came. The shitstorm that seemed as though it had been perfectly formulated, had occurred.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

It was rather late in the evening for the ladies of the night. Working at BAR either stressed you out or annoyed the living hell out of you. Sadly for Regina, both had been very fair options of description for what’s been going on. It just seemed that lately, the men inside had started to come to some weird conclusion that the women outside were fair game for propositioning as it related to their very flippant reason of ‘First come. First serve’. That coupled with the fact that they clearly didn’t understand that there was a rather strongly enforced rule of not touching until _after_ one of the women had agreed to go with them, seemed to fly right over their heads.

Regina was currently on her shift and currently with a client who, much like most of her clients, just wanted his usual and he would be on his way. That night, for some reason had turned out to be very lively and very much so congested with propositions and new faces. She’d be lying if she said that the women weren’t going to make money that evening because it was more than obvious they would make money, and a lot of it. _We might actually be able to afford things now_ she thought to herself before shaking her head as she stepped out of the car she had originally left in. Emma’s car was parked firmly in the back and away from prying eyes, most specifically because of the make and model of the car, not so much what was in it. Regina definitely did not want to be held responsible for being careless- should the car go missing. She’d rather be held accountable because she couldn’t avoid the inevitable. She sighed internally after exiting the car and heading towards her usual spot by the wall, furthest from most of the action. Belle wasn’t there and M &M wasn’t there either, which left her to her own thoughts. They both had looked like they grew up in very well off families, and Regina could not decipher why it is she felt that maybe- just maybe, some of them _chose_ that life… _But what is there to gain from a life of poverty_ she thought to herself and even though it may seem trivial had she said it out loud, the word was screaming inside of her head before it settled into a whisper. _Peace_.

With her eyes shut, Regina leaned on the wall that felt slightly dewy from the moist air of the evening. Smoke rings drifted on the far end of BAR, shouting could be heard and the inside sounded even more loud and obnoxious than it usually did. She’s sure she only had a minute to herself when the doors are being shoved open and two men are being jostled out of the place. Oddly enough, but not surprisingly- it’s by Ruby kicking them out.

“You two fuckheads better figure this shit out, because that doesn’t fly in my bar,”

“Maaan- lady!-”

“-Don’t fucking ‘Maaan- lady’ me! Either get your shit together, or get the fuck out. Got it!” she snapped at both of them and Regina watched as not one, but both men flinched. She had to ask Ruby about the ability to frighten men like that later, but as of right now, she was watching two big and burly men who could quite easily snap the older woman in half, just concede. Maybe it was out of respect, maybe it was an age thing- who knew; All Regina knew is that they listened, grumbled on their way out, but they listened anyway. She continued to watch- saying nothing so that she didn’t scare/or upset the woman before her. But, there was no point because the way Ruby paced around the area, eventually her eyes would settle on Regina. And they did. She jumped and Ruby jumped before sighing deeply and beginning to walk towards the younger brunette. Regina held her stare, looking as though she could comment at any point, but refraining from doing so. As Ruby closed the gap between the two of them, she tried smiling, Regina realized it hadn’t quite reached her eyes, but she smiled back at the woman because that’s what you do. You smile even when you’re not sure.

“Hey kiddo, how’s the night?” Ruby asked her, breaking the ice completely and Regina nodded immediately. It just meant so far- so good. Ruby nodded back, her shoulders coming up to her ears for a moment. “Good- good. Listen, I’m sorry you had to see that side of me but they were in there causing trouble and threatening to blow each other up. You know people are still fickle with bomb threats these days and then they gave Kelsey hell, so I definitely had to step in there….” she explained before trailing off. Regina shrugged lightly before she tapped out a message on her phone and turned it for Ruby to see.

 _I don’t see anything wrong with the way you handled it.. It’s fine. Besides, I am a fan of the way you eviscerate cocky people_ the text reassured and Ruby grinned before nodding once again.

“Geez, as old as I am and I still act like some shy teenager around you when I do something bad.. or aggressive,” she scolds but Regina smirks slightly at her. She sees the young woman shrug at her again, but Regina doesn’t write out another message, she doesn’t really do anything else but stand there, press herself back up against the wall gently and stare out at the corner- still alive, still bustling with cars and chatter, and still.. A fucking nightmare.

 

Ruby leaves after a moment to clear the air with some of the other girls who were looking at it all earlier as well, that is until a black escalade with missing plates shows up and has the luxury of parking itself right within the center of the strip. Ruby’s eyebrow cocks immediately at that intrusion before the two back doors open and out comes another pair of massively burly men. She can tell they’re strapped, but that’s not what continued to pique her interest. It’s the simple fact that the escalade is somehow a right hand drive- first off and secondly, you’d expect the protected passenger to come out of the backseat, but no one did. Immediately, Ruby’s hands are on her hips, more than likely she was ready to just rail on whoever that was after the whole bar brawl she just dealt with. The front window- one of the many tinted ones Ruby had to stare at, rolls down just a tad bit, nothing to be seen within the black hole that is that vehicle. One of the men guarding the car, shouts aloud at the entire corner to get some attention.

“WHO THE FUCK IS IN CHARGE HERE?!” he asks, sounding as though he was annoyed. Ruby rolled her eyes and stepped forward.

“I’m in-fucking charge here,” she answered him flatly and he faltered slightly for a moment before commenting.

“I’m really spose to believe you’re in charge?”

“Listen here- I don’t give a fuck what you do and don’t believe, but when you’re on my block, respect my fucking turf- got that?” she snapped at him. He sighs gently before rolling his eyes. She couldn’t see the action, but she could sense it from him.

“Fine.. Franks- it’s her,” he says before turning toward the window that had been put down slightly. The other guy just continued to stand there, smirking at her. He mouthed something rather offensive to her, but she scoffed at that until she saw his hand itching to grip hold of his gun. _If you get that wet over the fucking gun, how about you deepthroat it!_

 _“_ Oi! cahm ‘ere!” the voice demanded. Ruby, being the woman she always has been and claims she always will be- stood before them, hip cocked to the side, a scowl on her face and a string of words ready for whoever the fuck that was.

“Do I _Look_ like some god damn dog to you?”

“Oi! Just cahm-fuckin’ ‘ere!” he snapped violently.

“And if I say no?” she pushed only to hear a sigh come from inside the vehicle. Fingers snap and before Ruby can get a handle on it, both the men are lifting her and setting her before the window. She flails in their hold but they hold her still for the most part. The window to the escalade drops even lower as a face appears and boy is that man a handsome fella; but Ruby couldn’t give any less of a shit about his pretty face than she already does.

“Then I’ll dos to you what I seen done to other people,” he told her flatly, only garnering another eye roll from her. He laughs. “You a tough one, aye?!” he asks her. “I like em tough.. Don’t like em old, though… anyway, I need me one o’ ya girls. I need me an escort for the evenin’..maybe a couple a days and some hours o’ good fuckin’-scuse my language. Lovin’,” he says, his tone changing from slightly insulting to somber. Ruby waits for the men to release her before she folds her arms and turns slightly. She makes a motion to a group of women who immediately flock over and they stand there as if they weren’t afraid of anything. And why would they be, they’ve seen far worse.

Ruby turns back before commenting,

“Pick your poison.” The mysterious man in the escalade pushes his face forward, his eyes scan the lined up women before he leans out of view and comments.

“Ain’t you got better lookin’ girls than that? No amazons, no muscles and no high spiked age gaps,” he commented.

“These are some of my best girls,” she lies because she hasn’t figured this young man out yet. She wouldn’t dare send Regina off with him even though Regina would be the perfect escort for the night that he requested.

“Well, ya best ain’t good enough. I need a woman who looks like a model and is as cheap as one too,”

“Well, you’re in the wrong fucking area, kid. How about you go check a runway. Maybe you’ll fish out an airhead,” Ruby snorts. The man in the escalade pushes his face forward and grins a little sadistically at her. He then looks past Ruby and the women who were now turning to leave and over at the walls.

“Listen, I’m sure me and yous can come to some sorta agreement. I know you got better girls than that,” he says even though his eyes still scan the area. They settle on Regina and Ruby sees it. She sees when it quirks and her own line of sight follows his. “Her,” he says,his tone changing once again from something that may have been playful to serious. “Gimme her,” he commands.

“She’s not on the list,”

“She’s on the list if I’m fuckin’ payin’ for ha. Now bring ha over, or I’m gonna get one of my boys to do it,” he threatens.

“Touch her and I will end you right where you sit,” Ruby threatens him only to hear the click of the gun. It was then pressed to the back of her head and she heard him tsk.

“Yous forgettin’ somethin’.. Like- ohhh, I dunno, my boys got guns. They’ll blow ya brains out before yous can blink. Now, like I told you to- bring ha ova!” he said to her, his annoyance spiking. Ruby huffed heavily before she conceded. She slowly walked over to Regina and fixed her features in such a way that Regina read them as an alert. She saw the exchange from earlier, and rather than move, Regina stood there just in case something _did_ go wrong, at least that way she’d be able to help identify them if needed. In a whisper, Ruby tells her,

“This guy wants you to be his escort for a bit. I already told him you weren’t on the list, but he’s got a fucking cement block in his head for a brain. Now, I know you need someone to watch him and that you wouldn’t want to be away from him that long, but this guy is threatening to blow my brains out unless you go with him…” she trails off and they stand there for a moment until mystery man snaps at them.

“GET THE FUCK OVER HERE OR BOTH A YOUS DIES!”

“We’re coming you whiny asshole!” Ruby belts before turning back to Regina and flashing those helpless eyes of grey at her. “I’m so sorry..” she apologises but then Regina is shaking her head and holding onto her hands. Ruby looks at Regina’s eyes, determined and strong before she walks Ruby back over to the escalade and they stop short of the door.

“Would ya look at that, seems like you know how to follow instructions after all,” he teased. “I’m keepin’ ha like I said,” he announces. “How much is she per day?” he asks. Ruby holds back a scoff.

“All my girls are a grand a day- and she’s not a fucking animal,” she comments. He pauses and looks at her. Regina looks down, fingers fiddling within one another. She wishes she could text Emma and tell her how afraid she is, but the last time she spoke to Emma was a little over an hour ago when she told her how her night was going. Not only that, but she wishes that Emma were there to say something- anything that would help her get out of that predicament.

“Listen. I been real nice to ya, but now you’re startin’ to piss me off. Just tell me how much she is a night so I can have some fun and some pussy,”

“I already told you, you whiny dipshit. A grand a night and she’s not on the list. I told you that. She’s a special order. You don’t sleep with special orders,” Ruby informed and the man sighed.

“Yeah boss, she’s right. You can’t sleep with a kink order girl. You’ll wreck her cred,” one of the idiotic goons agreed.

“You know what-,” he began before he pulled out his wallet and peeled off five thousand dollars right off the bat. “-she is because I say she is. Put her in the car,” he commanded and one of the men pretty much toted Regina towards the door before all but shoving her inside and slamming the door shut. Ruby stayed still and Regina just let it happen. If they did something at the wrong time, one of them- or both of them would be dead. “Fuckin’ special order my ass. I don’t care what kinks she dealin’ with. I’m paying for services. Whether you like it or not, I’m gonna get me some pussy and it’s comin’ from ha,” he finished before he threw the entire wad at her. Ruby flinched slightly as the men moved to get inside. “There, that’s five days worth in ya face. We good now?” he asked rhetorically. Ruby swallowed thickly, biting back even more words she would use to flatten his ego with. But there was precious cargo in that escalade and there were three men in there.

“Wait,” she said and they halted. She sighed. “Fine, if you’re taking her, just let me check and see if she’s got her things,” she told them. He waved his hand for her to do so and they opened the door. Regina was sitting there, in tears and Ruby could tell she had already peeled away at the skin on her thumb. She climbed in and pulled her in for a hug.

“Oi! Hurry the fuck up, I got places to be,” he complained. She ignored him and continued to hug Regina.

“Listen to me, Regina. You’re going to be okay.. Just stay calm, stay brave and stay positive for me. I want you to remember every detail you can and whenever you get the opportunity, I want you to mark something- anything that will help you escape if this guy ends up being up to no good. Can you do that for me?” she asked and though Regina was in shambles, she nodded. Ruby stroked her tears away. “Good- good. Listen, I love you and I know you’ll come back alive, just be brave Regina. You always were brave. I need you to keep being brave for me. I’ll watch over him for as long as I can, and I’ll carry the money to yours tomorrow, it’s going to be in your kitchen drawer when you get back, okay?”  she asks and a nod comes, soft and frightened. Ruby swallows before continuing. “I’ll see about the old biddy too. Maybe I can get her to keep him for a few days before taking some time off to watch him... I’ll just tell Robin you’re sick. I’ll figure something out, but I need you to stay strong. You’ll get through this- we both will.”

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Emma had been checking her phone and checking her phone and checking her phone over the course of the night and at first when she was about to jump and text Regina, she remembered that with certain sessions, Regina could be gone for hours. It made her shiver at the thought that Regina had to deal with physically harming people simply because it turned them on. She wasn’t against the nature of it, knowing that she and Ciara had fiddled around with bdsm, but it must’ve felt weird for someone as sweet and quiet as Regina who had to put on that mask and act as if that was something she immediately gravitated towards.

So, the blonde had shoved her phone aside and figured that whenever Regina texted her, she’d text her back. The woman had a right to be busy, but she didn’t have a right to worry Emma- _oh logic!_ She thought to herself before her phone pinged off and she immediately went to grab hold of it. It wasn’t Regina, but it was someone else she cared a lot for.

 

Her mother.

 _Call me now_ is what the message said and Emma followed instructions. She dialled Mal’s number and waited for the ring to stop and the sound of breathing to drift in.

“Emma,” her mother addressed her.

“Hey mom, what was so urgent?” she asked as she shifted and got off the bed. Emma made her way out onto the terrace and sat in the lounge chair.

“Nothing, except now your father says he sees why you were so strung out on Regina,” her mother informed and she groaned.

“Seriously? What is with you and dad?”

“Nothing.. It’s just that-,”

“-no. Don’t you say it,”she immediately interrupted to scold.

“I wasn’t going to say anything rude. I was going to say it’s just strange that in all the time it took you to trust Ciara and quote on quote ‘love’ her, that it’s as though she never existed. Now- don’t get me wrong, I am more than glad she no longer exists as a thorn in my side, but Emma, I have never seen you hold on to someone- laugh with someone, or treat someone the way you do with Regina,”

“Mom, I told you. She’s nice. She’s sweet as can be and she’s.. She challenges me in the best ways and supports everything I do. She listens to me about my job and helps me with keeping my schedule. She checks in on me everyday and I’m not gonna lie but, it feels amazing to have someone care that much about me- you know?”

“I do, which is why I was going to comment that the photos really were lovely. Oh, my not so little blonde angel looks like she’s married to some high powered CEO when it’s really a nightwalker in disguise-,”

“-Okay mom, hanging up now!” Emma snapped slightly offended but embarrassed as well.

“I kid.. I’m not against her.. Profession, anymore. I’m just worried, that’s all,”

“I know you are mom, but trust me okay. She’s good for me,”

“We’ll see.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

The night wore on and as it came closer to the crack of another day, Regina found herself once again in another vehicle. This one was a red sports car that belonged to mystery man. A man whose name she now knew.

 _Frankie_.

When they had arrived to Frankie’s place, Regina could tell immediately that it wasn’t exactly his, but his parents’. Frankie was one of those spoiled kids who grew up into spoiled young men that didn’t understand the logics of the world and the flow of money. All he knew is that it came into his hands and left his hands like running water. At least, that’s the impression he’d been giving off. He’d given her some half-assed tour, informing her that it would be her home for as long as he said it would be. Regina had blocked him out after that. Her only thoughts that remained was getting back to him and Emma. _Emma_ her mind wondered rampantly. _I’m so sorry_ she apologised and God does she feel stupid for apologising, but her mind and the situation say it’s all her fault. She knew she felt that something might and just could go wrong, but still.

Frankie had then told Regina to go change her clothes, violently interrupting her thoughts. Actually, his exact words were,

“You look pretty, but cheap. We’re goin’ places tonight. You gotta look right. Go change into somethin’ a lil more… appealin’.”  Now however that was meant to be taken, the young brunette obviously took it as an insult, which she had every right to do, but that wasn’t the only thing. He told her to go change her clothes and Regina wondered how in the hell he expected her to change into something she doesn’t even have. So, she stood there because- how in the hell, where in the hell and why in the hell would she change with no material. Frankie had sighed deeply. “Nino, take her to the room and let her change.. Tsk, seems like you weren’t payin’ attention tuh the grande towah I gave ya. Yous gonna have to do better than that,” he teased, but it lacked a whole lot of malice, like Frankie was trying to be civil with her or level with her. Nino did as he was told and escorted Regina to a room that was quite clearly set aside for special occasions. “And get Lolo to do her hair and makeup,” he added tapping Bruno’s arm with the backside of his pointer and middle fingers and Bruno nodded before he left. The men watched Regina hesitate with going into the room, Nino taking the time to put her at ease.

“Listen, he won’t hurt you. Trust me,” Nino told her, but Regina’s eyebrow rose skeptically at him. _How am I supposed to believe that when you two are staring back at me and your trigger happy friend has threatened to kill me already?_

Nino sighed before he gave her a gentle push into the room, her feet allowing it because she was afraid he just might try to do something to her that she wouldn’t want. Lolo appeared in the doorway and rolled her eyes.

“You. Out. I’ve got this,” she told Nino and he shrugged before leaving. Regina swallowed, watching him go and looking at the woman before her. “Lolo,” the woman said before extending her hand towards Regina. The young brunette hesitated before swallowing. Lolo rolled her eyes yet again, but this time she was smirking. “That’s just like Frankie-,” she started with a soft snort. “-always going for the quiet girls.. Anyway, I’m Lolo, but my name’s Loco. I’d tell you how that came to be, but if you do your research you’ll see for yourself,” she told Regina with a tad bit of warning in there somewhere. “What’s your name?” she then asked as she easily made her way through and around the room. If Regina didn’t know any better, she’d have thought it was Lolo’s room. And at that point she was right to assume because everything looked like it was tailoured for the much taller woman. Her legs almost put Regina’s to shame. She had very cherry red hair and stark blue eyes. At the moment, Lolo was wearing a silken nightgown and an equally thin, silken robe cut above her knees and that made Regina believe someone had woken her and sent her in. But why?

Fingers snap and Regina comes to.

“Hey, earth to escort.. I said, what’s your name?” she reiterated, looking at Regina. _When did she get this close to me?_ Regina faltered before she looked around for something to help her. Her mind was so puzzled, frazzled and jumbled that if she wasn’t careful she’d start hyperventilating on the spot. _Your bag_ a voice had whispered to her and she nodded to herself before she opened her bag and pulled out a pad and pen. Lolo eyed her much more oddly this time around as she watched Regina shakily write her name on the paper. Regina swallowed thickly before she turned it around and let the woman read it. “Regina, huh… nice. Means queen, doesn’t it?” she asks and Regina nods so aggressively fast that she’s sure she might throw up. “Alright then.. Come on. Frankie wanted me to get your makeup and hair done and find you something to wear,” she said before sniffing Regina quickly. “At least you smell clean, and you’ve got nice skin.. Wow, Franks picked a cutie....” she trailed off before walking away. Regina followed behind Lolo and let the woman dress her and do as Frankie had requested. It took no time at all before she was escorting Regina back out and over to Frankie.

Based on the stupid grin that split out across his face, Frankie was beyond excited about the way Regina looked. Lolo had changed Regina into a long mermaid gown that was just as cherry red as her hair. Regina’s own hair was set in curls, fluffy and thick, draping across not so bare shoulders. Frankie had changed into his own getup. He went from a nice pair of casual dark wash jeans and a nice dress shirt to a tuxedo, fitted to him in every way he could get it. Frankie wasn’t much of a masculine guy himself and that’s part of the reason he wanted Regina, not just because she looked extremely pretty without having to do much..

“Lolo, I’d kiss you on the mouth if we weren’t such best friends,” he complimented but she snorted.

“Frankie, she’s a beautiful girl. It’s not hard dressing her. She was like a little doll. My own experiment and it worked. She looks perfect,” Lolo responded, cockily. Frankie grinned before he hugged her and stuck out the open space between his arm and torso for Regina to loop hers through. She looked at it for a moment before she did it and settled.

“Oi- don’t we look cute togetha!” he said cheekily. Lolo groaned.

“You think you look nice with every escort you pick up,”

“Yeah- yeah. She’s different though. I mean, look at us. We both got dark hair, her body is amazing, she’s just the right height in heels-,” Regina blocked the rest of it out as Frankie went on and on and on. All she saw on Frankie, were his eyes. Eyes as emerald green as Emma’s. The major differences. His eyes weren’t safe. _His eyes aren’t kind.. They aren’t Emma’s. They aren’t….home._

“Alright- we get it. Go before you’re late,” Lolo told him and he began walking out with Regina on his arm.

 

That’s how she ended up in his red sports car going somewhere and nowhere all at once. That was how she watched light after light pass her, sometimes getting even brighter or going as dim a dying bulb. That’s just how Regina found that Frankie was taking her close to out of the city, to a casino. _I suppose that’s why I needed to look like a living model of a showgirl_ she thought to herself. He hadn’t spoken to her as she sat in the passenger seat, the entire ride over and she hadn’t bothered to try with him either. For as much as he yammered on earlier, something had changed about Frankie. It was more than obvious. His face was less hard around the edges. His bad boy posture was now erect and scarily proper. Frankie didn’t look like Frankie. Of course he was a clean shaven young man, but even now as Regina looked at his face, she could see it. He’d swept his hair back and out of his face. It was about shoulder length and insanely curly, but you couldn’t tell by the style he had put it in. _He must have used an entire jar of gel_. Frankie also had on a pair of black rimmed glasses and that five o’clock shadow Regina was sure she saw earlier, was no more. He shifted in his spot, seemingly uncomfortable with even being in the same car as Regina.

But then it came to a weird halt as they got within the vicinity of the casino lot and he parked his car. Valet- clearly knowing him, took his keys and moved it for him after opening Regina’s door. Frankie did the arm motion yet again and like a robot, Regina conceded. She heard him whisper,

“You just need to stand there and look pretty. If I ask you to blow on the dice, just blow on the dice, got it?” he asked her, and once again- she detected the lack of venom and threat in his words. She also took into account he hadn’t shortened, screwed up or mispronounced any other words. It was like talking to a completely different person. She nodded though. She just nodded and based on him looking at her via side eye, he seemed to approve of her quiet approach of response. Frankie opened the door for Regina and allowed her to go in. Her senses were immediately assaulted by everything from sight, sound, smells and taste. It stank of cigars, but in the freshly filtered way. It was beautiful yes, but there were so many overweight, high rollers in there- Regina couldn’t tell where one table began and another ended. Slot machines had dinged off repeatedly, gamblers who were either beyond addicted or on a winning streak stayed glued to their chairs. Women who she could tell were one night only escorts, walked past both her and Frankie, some eyeing her as if they wanted to beat her up, others with envy and some with flat out curiosity. Was she his girlfriend? His wife? Well, that all depended on who you asked.

 

“Ahhhh, Frankie!” someone boomed from somewhere because like Regina concluded- big men, unidentifiable table settings.

“Oi!” Frankie grinned slyly as he let go of Regina’s arm and went over to the voice. Regina just let her eyes follow, choosing to stay behind just in case they had to talk of something Frankie did not want her hearing about. The man before Frankie was.. Well, old and he looked like he hadn’t moved from one of the tables in days. He looked sloppy, his tie was absent from his shirt that was stained in something, Regina was sure and his jacket was crumpled slightly. His wispy, ash white hair was amiss. But, Frankie embraced him like he was an old friend and Regina could see it just by Frankie’s body language that he’d switched back to that jarhead demeanor. Then, the eyes settled on her and he waved her over. She moved quickly and skillfully before settling at his side.

“Bobby boy, this is my date for the evenin’, Regina,” he introduced. Bobby smiled almost carnivorously at Regina, but she felt something when Frankie’s hand settled around her waist and he squeezed tightly, almost as if he was just as much annoyed and grossed out by the action as she was. Bobby extended his hand to shake, Regina looking for the go ahead from Frankie to do just that. A slight nod and she shakes it before letting go and wiping it against the dress.

“She’s beautiful, Franks..where’d you find her?”

“A friend of mines set us up, Bobby boy,” he told him. _Why would he lie?_ Bobby grinned again.

“You sure she’s not another one of them slutty, STD ridden hooks?” he jokes in question. Regina feels it yet again, Frankie’s hand tightening around her waist.

“Enough chit chat about that, aye? I thought we was playin’ cahds! Or is yous scared I’ll beat ya again?” he asked the man, changing the course of the conversation. Bobby took the bait and scowled lightly before he laughed and slapped Frankie on the back.

“Atta boy.. Let’s get to it then,” Bobby told him. Frankie nodded that plastic grin at the man before he gave Regina a look. A look she couldn’t quite understand but they were guided towards the table and then escorted to his seat. The smell at the table was worse considering she now had to smell the actual scent of burning cigars and men who don’t know what too much cologne is. Frankie sat down before he looked at Regina and in some odd way, Regina saw it in his eyes what he might have been trying to communicate to her. She looked around the table and the men who had their escorts, had the women either sat on their laps or with a hand around their shoulders. Frankie seemed to be trying to shake his head at her without it being noticeable that he did not want her to do that. He snapped his fingers and whispered something in the ear of one of the waiters before the young man returned with a chair for Regina. It’s exactly the same height as Frankie’s and the man places it directly next to his before he motions she sit. She does and Frankie looks at her for a moment, content that she seems fine before he turns to the table and grins at everyone else.

“Ayyye, Franks- now you know the rules, boy-o. No girls at the table unless they givin’ head or being useful,” one of the men commented. “She needs to get up,” he continued and Frankie heard the agreed grumbles and comments from the others. The women looked at her as if they were even shocked she was sat at the table and Regina genuinely was about to get up. She felt so naked before these men who were leering at her but insulting her just the same. But then Frankie put a hand to her chest and shook his head at her. He turned back to the table and motioned that the dealer deal. The man shuffled and tossed before handing out cards. Frankie fixed his hand before he looked up and commented.

“When does Franks ever follow the rules, huh?” he asked them before grinning, his mask slipping back in place. Some of the men smirk at him. “Ahh, come on. She ain’t playin’ besides, she’s nice display for the game-,”

“-If you ain’t wagering her, she can’t sit there,”

“I ain’t wagerin’ her and no one else is gonna sit there, okay?”

“Why you bein’ so nice to an escort- you gettin’ soft on us Franks?” one of the men teased and he’d done the wrong thing at the wrong time because not long after did he hear the click of the gun in Frankie’s hand and was staring down the barrel of a revolver.

“My good buddy Walt here says otherwise.. Now-” he said before slamming the gun on the table. “-you pussies gonna play, or am I gonna have to shows yous guys why I’m as crazy as they says I is?” he asked, sickenly sweet and polite as pie. No one answered him and he flicked his jacket back before he sat and picked his hand back up. He looked over at Regina who was looking down at her hands but he nudged her and she looked up at him. His eyes were somber- they weren’t Emma’s and they weren’t mean either. That silent question of worry passed between them but when Regina nodded, Frankie turned his attention back to the table and the games began.

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

There was swearing, laughter, dice rolling, top A style shuffling, cheating, threats- inappropriate groping and of course ‘Blow on ‘em’ requests the entire time that Frankie and Regina were in the casino, and then he’d had enough. Considering she was shocked how much money he cleaned them out of, she probably would’ve stopped too.

“Alright fellas, I gotta head home with my girl here,” he announced as he picked up the hundreds of dollar bills that littered the table.

“Awww, come on Franks, the night is still young,”

“Bobby boy.. It’s four am. I got shit ta do and a woman with me. Ain’t ya dad ever tell ya never to keep a lady out this late,” he commented and Bobby snorted.

“No. I fucked more women than I can remember. They were all easy access back then, just like they are now. Why would I treat ‘em any different,” the man commented. Frankie shook his head.

“Because if you wanna find someone as beautiful as my date, yous would get ya head outta ya ass long enough to undastand they’re rare and you probably treated em all like shit….” The table fell quiet for a moment before Bobby laughed boisterously.

“Ahhh, always joking around, huh Frankie,” the man said. Bobby wasn’t embarrassed at all. He had that stupid confidence that being an asshole to a woman was perfectly warranted behaviour. Frankie refrained from commenting before he rolled his eyes and shook Bobby’s hand. “Be safe out there, kid,”

“You too Bobby boy,” he told him before he said good night to the entire table and he left with Regina. Frankie opened the door for her and helped her into the car before he got in on the driver’s side and began to head back towards his home. As much times as Regina could look at the surroundings, she knows she’ll never figure out where he’s taking her or where he lives. It wasn’t the same way they came and rather than drive through the place where lights were, he took some back alley kind of route. Silence encased them for a good while until Frankie sighed and pulled the car up to a red light. He stopped and looked over at Regina who seemed to be committing things to memory. Frankie’s fingers itched slightly before he spoke. “I don’t know your name,” he commented, the rays of the red light, streaming through the windshield and over their faces.

Regina turns to him and looks at him, only to see him laugh disbelievingly at himself. “I don’t know it. I really don’t,” he admitted and she swallowed. Frankie’s laughter ceased. “Sorry,” he apologised. “What _is_ your name?” he then asked and Regina shifted a bit before she reached into her bag and pulled out her notepad. She turned it in his direction for him to read it out. He nodded and smiled to himself. “Cool name,” he commented. Regina just nodded at him and put the pad back into her bag. “Lemme ask you somethin’,” he started before clearing his throat. Regina was still confused as to whether or not Frankie was faking it or something along those lines. When his english bounced back and forth the way it had all night, she was concerned he may not be who he says he is. “Is this whole quiet thing apart of the get up? You know- the whole, special order thing you do?” he asked her and for a moment, she hadn’t responded at all. She hadn’t even looked like she breathed, much less blinked. But then Regina nodded at him slowly and he nodded back.

“I take it you won’t be speaking no matter how long you’re with me then?” he then asked and she nodded once again. “Cool, I guess,” he sighs. The light changes and Frankie continues to drive before other questions hit him, the most important one being, “Was BJ right when he said yous don’t have sex with clients?” he asked and she nodded yet again. “FUCK!” Frankie blurts. “You ain’t some kind o' virgin or somethin’ are ya?” he then asked because Lord knows he wouldn’t wanna be anyone’s first. Not again at least. Regina hesitated before she shook her head no and Frankie breathed in relief. “Thank fuck for that,” he commented before righting his posture once more. They drove some more until Frankie parked the car and shut it off. He got out and so did Regina. She looked up at the building before her. She hadn’t looked at the house for what it was in the beginning, but now- she can see it’s expensive as all hell. Frankie lets them inside and Bruno and Nino are there waiting. He passes his coat off to Bruno.

“How’s ole Bobby boy doin’ Franks?” Bruno asked and Frankie shook his head with a grin. He unbuttoned his shirt sleeves and cuffed them.

“Pfft, old shitstick is still kickin’,” he joked. “Looks like actual shit too. Hand ta God,” he swears. And Bruno laughs. Nino begins to shuffle Regina out of the room, but she still hears the commentary between Frankie and Bruno and something slips from Bruno’s lips that Frankie doesn’t seem to care about her knowing. _Bruno.. Or BJ, whatever the hell his name is.. Is his cousin._ She feels Nino push her a little bit roughly this time, more than likely because she had actually stopped moving entirely. He continued to guide her to the room before he opened the door and motion that she go in. She hesitated like she has been doing all evening before she went inside. Nino shut the door the minute Regina had stepped through the threshold, leaving her to the devices of the room. It was immaculate to say the least. _At least he’s not messy._ Frankie’s room looked like it had never been lived in. His bureaus were clean, save for the few cologne bottles he had set on them or lotion or whatever other little things you expected to see on them. His bed- _Great, I’m dealing with a Guido_ she concluded. Damn animal print.

“I see you and Frankie made it back alive,” came a comment from the en suite bathroom. Regina spun around to find the source of the voice, noticing it was Lolo in the bathtub. She had candles set and rose petals on the floor, but her red hair was tied up and she was eyeing Regina hungrily. Regina didn’t comment or move and Lolo snorted.

“Jeez, you really are shy.. Come here,” she told her a little strongly and Regina, for her own good- moved. She stopped just shy of the steps leading up and into the tub. “Strip,” the woman tells her, but by the way Regina’s eyes go sad and she looks as if someone had hit her, Lolo huffs. “Jesus, do I have to do it myself. Turn around, you’re gonna need to get clean for Frankie anyway,” she informs her, noting that Regina’s shoulders tense almost too stiff. Lolo gets out of the bubble bath and stands tall in all her naked glory before she wraps a towel around herself and walks towards Regina.

She rounds Regina and begins to unzip the dress from the younger woman’s frame before gently easing it off of Regina’s shoulders and letting it pool at her feet. She snaps Regina’s bra and unclasps it before she takes that off and then gracelessly yanks the woman’s underwear off of her before tossing those as well.

“Get in. You need to wash,” she tells her, but Regina doesn’t move. “Look, either you move or I’ll make you move. You knew what you signed up for when you took this job, now get in,” she tells her but Regina’s gaze snaps to her and she shakes her head slowly. Lolo pauses. If Regina was telling her no, she wouldn’t go in, she’d have shook her head more violently or something.. “Wait.. you don’t know what you’re supposed to do?” she asked her but Regina didn’t respond. Lolo remembered she doesn’t use words, she writes. She quickly locates some paper and a pent and tells Regina to write down what she knows. In not so many words Regina tells her she is a special order. She’s not to even be touched, but they’ve been touching her all evening and she’s not hired for sex, but for kinks. “What the fuck were you thinking Francisco… just, get in, I still have to wash you anyway. Frankie’s a fuckin’ neat freak with things like that,” she commented. Regina nodded slightly before she got in and sat down. Lolo dropped her towel and got back in before she turned the hot water on to make the bath a bit warmer for them. She shuts it off after a moment, noting that Regina hadn’t moved from her spot since she got in. Lolo doesn’t comment, she instead takes a towel from the many that are folded and squirts body wash onto it before she presses it against Regina’s back. Regina flinches but calms when she realizes it’s nothing dangerous. Lolo strokes the towel across Regina’s spine and over her shoulder, gently washing away the scent of cigar from her skin or the scent of anything else that may have ended up on her. Her hand glides over Regina’s right shoulder and stretches across her chest before it dips lower and under one of her breasts. Regina’s breath stops.

“Relax. I’m just doing what I do with every girl Frankie brings here,” she tells her. “I’ve been doing this for so long I figured I may as well enjoy it too,” she continued before her hand and the towel glide over Regina’s stomach. The brunette feels it all cave in, but she tries to hold herself together. It’s not that she’s uncomfortable with what’s currently happening, but she feels.. Weird by the way Lolo is touching her. Not being turned on by anything the woman is doing because she’s so scared something bad might happen, is what has Regina still as tense as she is. But then, Lolo’s lips are on the back of her neck and she’s whispering something to Regina that the brunette’s ears have blocked out entirely. That is until she feels Lolo’s hand- sans towel, slide down her torso and straight towards her sex. Taking both shuddering and gasping breaths the second the woman’s fingers graze her clit, Regina shuts her eyes and prays to every god in existence to save her. Lolo’s curious fingers keep searching, but they don’t go much past what looked to be assisted masturbation. She pulls Regina pressed against her, the younger woman’s head being rested on her shoulder as she tells Regina to lift her legs. Regina really doesn’t want to, but she has to. She just wants it all to be over. She just wants to go home and see his face. She just wants Emma.

 

“Ahem!” Frankie interrupts and Lolo rolls her eyes after Regina jerks away from her. “Already starting the party without me, Lo.. that’s very _low_ of you, don’t you think?” he teased and she growled.

“It’s not my fault she’s a tempting young woman, and she didn’t even have to do anything,” Lolo admits with a shrug.

“You have poor resistance,” he commented and she snorted.

“Says the guy with too much resistance,” she shot back and Frankie eyed her angrily.

“Is she clean now or what?” he snapped and Lolo laughed.

“Awww, someone’s upset..yes, she is clean- why?”

“Because.. I have a fucking boner and I need a fix,” he commented dryly. Lolo sighed before she stood up and motioned for Regina to do the same. She made a go away motion to Frankie.

“Scoot- out. We have to get dressed,” she told him and he rolled his eyes before leaving. “And take a shower! You smell like dude!”

“I already did. Dude is my natural scent,” he answered. After Frankie had shut the door, Lolo passed Regina some lingerie and a night gown similar to the one she saw Lolo wearing earlier. She then pulled Regina out and into the room where Frankie stood in his sweats and a t-shirt, his boner already leaving small wet spots on his pants. Lolo quirked a brow at him before she smiled devilishly.

“Happy to see us,” she commented before watching him drop his pants and sit in the alcove. Frankie began to get himself off, slowly. Regina watched, confused as fuck before she felt Lolo once again, touching her in areas she really wishes the woman wouldn’t. “Lucky for you, there’s no sex with Frankie boy today. He’s got places to be in a little while, sooo- how about you and I put on a little show for him and remind him why he wanted this,” she suggested only to see Regina swallow hard before nodding slowly. “Good. Now kiss me,” she told her and Regina did as she was told.

The interactions between her and Lolo ranged from kissing to biting to Lolo trying to fuck her right then and there, but Regina managed to keep Lolo’s hands occupied with something else. The last time she kissed a person, it felt different. There wasn’t smooth skin, there was a stubbly face with beautiful eyes. Yeah, Lolo had amazing blue eyes, but it just wasn’t there for Regina and she couldn’t get into it for so many reasons. Lolo wanted her, Frankie wanted to watch her be with Lolo so he could masturbate to the acts and the sight and Regina just wanted to fucking leave. But, by the time Regina had stopped thinking, Frankie managed to blow his load. He stood up and went into the bathroom before cleaning himself up and walking back into the room. He got in the bed and turned over. It was as if nothing had even happened to him and that managed to insight her curiosity. She was confused as to why Frankie seemed to shut right off after doing that.

“You okay, Franks?” Lolo asked him but he just sighed heavily. Lolo looked as if she may comment, but decided against it. She had then got closer and snuggled up under him before patting the other side for Regina. “You really need to stop beating yourself up over this, kid,” she whispers to him, knowing that Regina is watching and listening. Frankie peaked over to see if she would move before he said,

“I’ll sleep in the other room.” He refrains from commenting to anything Lolo had said earlier, for whatever reason. Unable to stop him from leaving, both women watched as he walked out the room and towards the other bedroom like he said. Lolo shifted over and patted the bed once again.

“See, no more boys,” she teased Regina, not realizing that the young woman was so traumatized at that stage that she could cry.

Regina just caved and got into the bed. She didn’t want to think about anything and couldn’t think about anything anymore. She just waited for Lolo to fall asleep so she could leave, but with her luck, Nino and Bruno would probably be outside of the door because she’s sure she heard either talking or breathing or something on the other side of the wall. Screw what he paid Ruby, she wanted out and she wanted to go home.

 

When Regina’s sure that Lolo is asleep, the spooning giving it away- she manages to find her phone and send Emma one text. It’s short and vague, but it’s all she could do right before she noticed the battery was about to die on her. She knew she didn’t have her charger or any other means of contacting Emma and that aggravated her the second she saw the phone screen black out on her, leaving her all alone now. Filled with fear and some rage, Regina feels the itch in her hand to just snap and throw the phone away, but she refrains before sighing, setting it back into her bag and forcing herself to sleep.

 

It doesn’t come as peacefully as she had wished it would, but it does come.

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“Five days?” Emma asked just to be sure. “She seriously has to be with a client for five days? Who the hell needs that much time for bdsm?” Emma asked worriedly and Ruby huffed.

“You’d be surprised, but he wanted Regina to be his escort to certain places so that’s why,” Ruby then explained.

“God, that’s.. Nevermind. I tried her phone and I couldn’t get through to her. It’s dead,” Emma concluded and Ruby shook her head.

“She couldn’t use it if she wanted to anyway. When you’re with a client it’s against the policy to use your phone during your time with them,”

“So I have to wait nearly 160 hours before I hear from Regina again?” Emma raged slightly.

“Yeah. That’s what happens in this type of business. You fall off the face of the earth and that’s that…”

“Fuck.. fine- okay.. Okay, I’ll wait, but I won’t stop texting her phone,” Emma commented and Ruby shrugged lightly.

“I wouldn’t expect you to.”

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

When Regina woke up much later than she usually would, the bed was empty and she was alone. She sighed heavily. _It wasn’t a dream_ she thought to herself. She sat up and walked into the bathroom before she shut the door and heaved a breath. She stood, back pressed against it for a moment before she pushed away from it and went over to the counter. A new toothbrush and some clothes were there for her and a note that said. ‘Clean underwear is in the drawer- Frankie’. His penmanship was clean and legible and by the way the clothes were folded, led Regina to believe Frankie was a little bit more than a neat freak.

She showers and dresses herself in the clothes he left. They’re just a pair of grey cotton sweats and a white v neck t-shirt. A knock comes to the door before Lolo appears within the moment and smirks.

“Looking cute.. Come on, we need to feed you or Frankie will have my ass if he knew you weren’t eating,” she grins before taking Regina by the hand and leading her out. Regina allows herself to be pulled towards the living room where there’s a tray of food waiting for her and the remote sat next to it. “Sit down and eat, I’ll just be in the other room. I’ve got a cute date in a little bit,” Lolo grinned cheekily before she left Regina to it. Regina sits in the chair, but for the better part of half an hour- she doesn’t touch the food. She doesn’t know why, but she just doesn’t trust them enough to allow herself that kind of thing. “You’re seriously not going to eat?” then questioned as she came back in, throwing her hair up into a ponytail and eyeing Regina’s still full plate of food. Regina shook her head and Lolo sighed heavily. “We’re not gonna poison you. Just eat or you’ll pass out and then Frankie will really have my ass,” Lolo urges. But Regina doesn’t budge and Lolo can’t force her to eat, so she huffs loudly. “Fine.. I gotta finish get ready. When you do- or if you do get hungry, just go to the kitchen and let one of the guys know or something. Or better yet- make your own food. That way you’re sure we’re not trying to drug you,” she said a little offended. Regina turned immediately, her eyes filled with fear, sorrow and so many other things that Lolo immediately picks up on. Her own face falters before she shakes her head violently and turns to leave.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“Would you mind explaining what that was the other night in Boston,” Mister Jones questioned easily as he took his decanter in hand and took a swig straight from it. Emma grimaced.

“You really gotta stop doing that. You’ll die earlier than even you want,” Emma told him. He snorted.

“Emma, I’ve got a bad heart and equally poor immune system. I can barely see out of my left eye and I’m more than positive I’ve got carpal tunnel now. I’ll die from one of those before I die from drinking, trust me. Like I told you, if I kick the bucket before Anna’s an adult, I’m leaving her in your care,”

“I remember, I signed the papers,” Emma nods and he nods back. “Still, lay off- just a little bit,” she adds and he shrugs.

“Maybe.. Now tell me, what was that the other night,” he said and she shrugged.

“You mean the one and only meeting we could have and the one where my colleagues decided to put me on the spot and embarrass my friend who was staying with me?” she asked him, giving him every detail with a bit of annoyance, not at him, more so at her colleagues. He grinned but coughed when he saw her level him with a stare.

“Y-yes. That one. And are you sure she was just a friend? Based on the way you two were interacting-,”

“-Yes she’s just my friend. I care about her deeply, but…” Emma trailed off. “It’s nothing,” she shook her head, but his tilted.

“Emma. You know you can tell me. What’s the issue?”

“I can’t tell you,” she admitted and he sighed gently.

“Is it bad?”

“Not to me, but it might be to you.. Or anyone else,” she told him.

“You know me to be the least judgmental person I think you’ve met in a long while,” he said and she sighed gently. It was true. It didn’t matter what it was, Mister Jones never seemed to flinch at what he heard. Either it didn’t phase him or he just refrained from commenting out loud about his distaste, but even that seemed illogical as he was immediately ready to help sort through it or give advice on whatever it was you told him.

“Okay,” she huffed. “Regina.. Well, Regina’s a special order girl,” Emma tells him and at first, she sees his eyebrow arch in confusion before it clicks in his head.

“Okay,” he said and that prompted her to continue.

“She has to be with a client for five days and I’m worried about her,”

“Has she ever been with a client this long?”

“No, but Ruby said this guy paid her in cash, upfront and then just took Regina so I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. I feel like I’m sitting on my hands waiting for shit to go wrong and then I’ll have no way of helping her,”

“Emma. Calm down,” he tells her. She stops speaking. “This is her job, is it not?”

“Yeah,”

“Okay, then she’ll be fine. As long as she has some sort of protection with her- I mean that in both ways, then she will be fine,” he tells her but she shakes her head.

“I just feel-,”

“-I know what you feel, but listen to me. Even _if_ something _were_ to happen, you need to be strong for when you get a hold of her that you’re not the one breaking down because she will need support more than tears… I know you’re worried about her, but Emma if you make more out of this than you should, you will frighten her and you will frighten yourself,”

“I know that, but I know something might happen and it might be something that she can’t get out of. Mister J- she doesn’t talk to anyone.. She doesn’t speak at all because she’s so shy and she just… I’m scared for her and I don’t want anything to happen to her,” she admits before they both fall silent.

“You sound like you love her,” he comments after a moment and she huffs.

“I do love her,” she answers him but he hums, shaking his head.

“No Emma. You sound like you _love_ her,” he emphasized and she choked.

“Sir I-,”

“-It’s fine,” he said, holding up a hand. She fell silent. “It’s just my own observation...Now, how’s the project coming along?” he asks, switching the topic and she breathed in relief. She hasn’t even had time to decipher what it was she was feeling. She knew she felt strongly for Regina, but was it love- like _that_ kind of love?

“Project is doing fine. It’s all on schedule, Angel’s really grateful for it,”

“I heard he took you and Regina to dinner to thank you both. Now usually I’d scold anyone for doing something like what you did, but it seems as though she’s good for you and she’s helped you figure out Angel’s hamster wheel of a mind. So, I’ll let that slide for now.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

That night Frankie gets in, he notices Lolo is still missing and so are the guys. He pulls his coat off with a sigh before he makes his way to the room he slept in the night before. He kicks off his shoes and loosens his tie before he walks across the hall and into his bedroom. The bathroom door is shut but he can hear something playing. Frankie rubs at his forehead before he unbuckles his pants and puts his belt in the drawer. His tie is next to follow as his socks are tossed in the basket in the corner. The bed, he notices has been made and because he hadn’t seen Regina yet, his automatic assumption is that she must be in the bathroom, that is until he hears the laugh and knows it isn’t Regina’s. Since she’s been with him, she hasn’t spoken, smiled- anything really. And he knew that laugh because it was Lolo’s. That laugh lived with him since they were teenagers. It was a signature giggle that then rose in octave as Lolo found it funnier the second, third and fourth tie around. He shakes his head before walking towards the door and knocking on it.

“Come in!” he hears her shout and he opens the door. Lolo looks away from the girl of the night and at Frankie. “Franks, meet Angie! Angie, my brother from another mother, Frankie. Or as we call him, Franks,” she tells the woman. Frankie’s mouth pinches into a slight grimace as he looks at Angie. She’s a bleach blonde with obvious fake boobs.. Okay, not fake-maybe? and a tan that surprisingly doesn’t have her orange, but nicely toned.

“Hi Frankie, don’t mind Lolo. She’s just being a bitch for the moment because I won’t tell her who did my augmentation. It’s Angela,” Angie greets, her voice sounding smoother than butter and Frankie supposes he’s just made an ass of himself for his internal assumption that Angie might be an airhead. He stretches out his hand and shakes hers.

“Frankie..” he just says before trailing off and she nods back at him. “Lo- where’s Regina?” he then asks her and she shrugs nonchalantly.

“Dunno, I saw her this morning, she wouldn’t eat so I left her alone. Ask one of the guys or something,” Lolo waved off and Frankie growled.

“I’s specifically told ya to watch ha!”

“Yeah, and I did. Listen, it’s not my fault she didn’t wanna eat, Franks- besides- she’s harmless. It’s not as if she’ll willingly leave anyway,” the woman informed him, but he rolled his eyes.

“That ain’t the fuckin’ point, Lo!” he almost yelled at her, but she scoffed.

“Ain’t it?”

“Fuck no! I told you to watch ha cus them two doofs out there ain’t gonna do it and you’re a woman. She’d trust you,” he explains to her but she laughs.

“Frankie-,” Lolo began before she leaned forward and sarcastically told him, “-she’s afraid of all of us. What’s the difference if we left her by herself or one of us watched her. Point still stands- she isn’t going to talk to us.” Angie swallowed lightly before she shifted closer to Lolo and wrapped her arms around her.

“Easy there, tiger.. If Frankie asked you to do it, why didn’t you?”

“Cus I don’t have to,” she said, her accent breaking through her proper speech. “This idiot picked up the wrong girl to begin with and now he’s putting her on the rest of us,”

“Yeah, but he asked you to keep an eye on her,” Angie reminded only to hear Lolo growl at her.

“Are you seriously on his side about this?” she asks incredulously, but Angie doesn’t flinch at her.

“Yeah. I am. You were supposed to keep an eye on her, for whatever reason and you didn’t,”

“Because I wanted to see you, Angie- that’s why and I already tried talking to her this morning. I told her to eat and to watch tv, but she just looked at the food like we poisoned it. What else was I supposed to do?” she queries and Angie sighs.

“You were supposed to just stay there and watch her. But I get it, you tried and she didn’t respond,”

“Exactly,”

“But that still doesn’t excuse what you did, Lo,” Angie said. Lolo groaned. Frankie huffed before he turned to leave.

“You know what. Fa’get it. I’ll go look for her my damn self,” he growled.

“Frankie wait!” Lolo shouted after him and he halted.

“What, Lo?”

“I’m sorry,” she muttered but he shook his head.

“No, you’re not.. It was nice meeting you Angie,” he said before tilting his head upward and then turning back to exit. Once he was gone, Lolo huffed loudly before looking over at Angie and then shaking her head.

 

Frankie did end up finding Regina, but he was angry by then and when he grabbed hold of her, he crashed his lips into hers, shocking her, frightening her and stunning her even more silent that she usually is. Regina remembers flinching violently at his actions because so far, Frankie was protective of her, and now it was as if he really remembered she was nothing more than a paid sex worker.

She struggled to break free from him but his hands squeezed painfully at her sides and held her still.

“Don’t. Move,” he commanded of her forcefully, ignoring the whimper she let out as he mashed his lips against hers once more. Regina swallowed a groan and a guttural cry as Frankie’s stubble scraped against her soft flesh and went further south much more quicker than Regina could stop him from doing. His hands twisted into the t-shirt before tearing the fabric haphazardly, baring the young woman’s chest before him. She froze even more at the movement, but then she was saved for the moment when Bruno cleared his throat. Not that he wasn’t ogling a partially naked Regina already. His smirk was dark, but then he shook his head slightly and spoke.

“Don’t ya think you should fuck ha in ya room, Franks?” he asks as Frankie stopped abruptly, his chest heaving before he looked away from Regina and raised a skeptical brow at his cousin.

“Does it fuckin’ matter, B?” he asked him, his tone harsh and aggravated. Bruno rolled his eyes at him before folding his arms and huffing.

“What the fuck’s up with you, Franks?” he asked him, not flinching in the slightest because the few times Frankie had been like this before, he never really had a valid reason. Though, Frankie supposes he has one now.

“Ask Lo. She’s the fuckin’ reason for this shit, anyway,” he nearly scoffs as he responds.

“So you takin’ it out on ha?” Bruno asks, arms still folded almost daring Frankie to lie to him, but Frankie snorts.

“And, so what if I am? Who the fuck cares?” he asked his cousin who faltered slightly. Bruno half expected Frankie to falter beneath his gaze, but sometimes he really forgot, Frankie was the son of two of the most dangerous people. He’s seen and done things at a young age that most would consider demented. “Ain’t everyone callin’ ha a prostitute. Ain’t that what I’m payin’ for? I bought ha. Them feelin's don’t matta…” Frankie trails off. Bruno huffs before he speaks.

“Fine, but don’t do it where everyone can fuckin’ see ya,”

“Once again, who the fuck cares, BJ?” he asks of him shortly before he scoffs, turns sharply and drags Regina away by her wrist. Bruno looks as if he wants to stop Frankie, but by the way he shakes his head and walks off, Regina knows they let Frankie do whatever the hell it is he wants. Frankie continues to drag her until he’s near his other bedroom. He throws the door open and shoves Regina inside, watching her stumble like a newborn deer, right into the side of his bed. Frankie slams the door shut, groaning until he’s letting out a husky scream of frustration. Regina falls onto the bed but she pitches up; sitting ramrod straight, not because she wanted to, but because she was afraid. As she watched Frankie throw a vocal tantrum and pretty much put his fist through his wall, Regina really wishes her phone was on and working. She wishes for something to give so that Frankie doesn’t do something he regrets.. Or worse.. Rapes her.

And just how it looks.. Is what Regina is sure is about to happen.

Frankie rounds on her and she flinches immediately, but he doesn’t appear to register it at all as he stalks closer and closer. His hand feels bigger against her chest, meatier- more..rough than she remembers. And then she feels it. His palm hits flat in the center of her chest before he’s shoving her back and she collapses onto the bed, her hair flying over her face. It might have been romantic if this wasn’t the circumstance presented. If Frankie wasn’t ape angry. If she wasn’t so sure he just might rape her. Regina swallows thickly, her eyes sliding shut and tears streaming down her face already as she waits for the pain to come. Frankie is blind to his own rage and anger as he pushes against her, his thigh slides up between hers and it doesn’t feel right.. Something like this will never feel right to Regina. And yet, Frankie is grinding against her as if it’s the greatest feeling he’s felt in a long time. Regina squirms and manages to push her chin far enough away that he’s out of her peripheral vision. But it doesn’t erase what she’s feeling. And that’s worthless. She feels like a toy. She feels.. Like she’s about to lose her innocence. The bulge is beginning to stiffen in Frankie’s pants and Regina hates it with everything in her. He’s been stroking the shaft up against her sex so aggressively that even if she didn’t want to feel the sensitivity of it or the friction- her body still reacted and she still ended up getting a little wet because of it.

 

But Frankie stops just after he’s ripped away her sweatpants and notices the way she’s curling into herself, tense and frightened of him. His face falters before he tries to get out a shaky sentence.

“D-don’t… don’t do that. Don’t start crying. You’re a prostitute. That’s what I paid for..” he tries but Regina’s position is exactly the same. “Stop it,” he tries again. “Just.. don’t do that. Don’t act like I’m some vile person. Like I’m some … dangerous guy- I’m not!” He rages before noticing her flinching once more. He sags significantly. “I’m not.. I’m not a bad guy. I’m not like those kind of men- I’m not-...I’m not a rapist,” he tries to defend, but Regina won’t look at him, won’t move- she won’t even breathe. “I’m not a rapist,” she hears him whisper painfully, and they both find that hard to believe. Frankie can say it as much as he wants, but.. Regina’s nearly sure he’s done this before and he hadn’t stopped the last time, so why would he stop this time. What the hell would make her so special that he just _had_ to stop?

 _He said it himself, I’m a prostitute. My feelings don’t matter_. And God, she’s still crying. She’s still showing her weakness before this man who.. she should know how to take down, but he could just as easily strangle her to death or have her shot. She’s still crying in the front of this man who seems to have a hint of human in his eyes. He looks as if he might feel something. Guilt? Sorrow? Pain? Clearly not as much pain as Regina feels. Clearly not enough sorrow because he tore away her clothing like it was just in his way of claiming a prize he won a bet for.

And they continued to not matter as Frankie shook his head violently before he began again. Regina.. All she remembers doing is zoning out the second Frankie spreads her legs and decides to break the cardinal rule.

 

“I need your help,” he admits. “I can’t...I’ve never,” he says, but then he stops and Regina can hear the real Frankie speaking. As sorry as she might feel for him, she’s crying and he’s the cause. He nearly raped her and that’s enough that her jaw is set and her eyes are cold. That surprisingly frightens him enough that he doesn’t look at her at all. But he shakes that feeling away as well because what comes next, isn’t something Regina could say she didn’t expect to happen.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Days Later

 

It’s been a good bit of days later. Five to be exact. The same five Frankie had paid for and the exact same five days that passed which meant Emma was coming home. Or, supposed to be coming home at least. She’d hoped she could, but getting a call saying that the contract never made it, then meant the final few signatures were also pushed back for signing off on and that meant, two more days without Regina. Two days where her worry would kill her because she already went five without seeing or hearing from the woman, and now, her fucking job decided to not work with her so that she could make sure the woman was okay. Trying to get into contact with Ruby proved useless as the woman either never answered her calls or simply ignored them. Whichever seemed worse is the one Emma went with, but there was a third reasoning and that was one even Ruby couldn’t tell Emma was a possibility. Especially with the way Emma seemed to genuinely lose her mind if she were ever under the impression something bad happened to Regina.

The time spent at Frankie’s went in a daze. Five days of nonstop intrusion. Five days of physical overpowerment.  Five days of not being able to vocally scream ‘no’ because… she was petrified. Five days of Frankie in her, pleasing himself at her expense. At never seeming to get enough of stretching her insides to suit his size even if she winced and cried painfully. Frankie was adamant about sex. Long, drawn out hours of it. Of rough, unwanted sex. He seemed to war with himself every time he would start or stop, looking at Regina with apology, but then doing the exact same thing to her, twice- sometimes three times a day. It was marital rape, without the marriage. He always took when he wanted and could never finish when he needed. And that was his problem. That was the thing Frankie could not vocalize. He’d never orgasmed and it was so obvious why. He was under the impression by whoever- that being rough, being fast, being aggressive, nearly tearing the poor woman and sometimes making her bleed, was how sex worked. But it wasn’t. That much was obvious.

It became more obvious over the course of those five days that Frankie was as clueless to the inner workings of a woman just as much as he was about himself. He always felt he had to dominate in sex. He always felt that he had to be on top, that thrusting in and out would somehow stroke his shaft with enough friction that he would orgasm. But Frankie missed the buck on so many things. Regina didn’t want it. She didn’t want _him_. She was too tight and there was no amount of pushing he could do that would get her wet enough to make it easier for him. He had no rhythm in his stroke. He would sweat more than anything and his grunts sounded painful. And this was hours of accumulated garbage where Regina would turn her head to the side and count down the minutes until she knew he was tired and gave up before walking away, leaving her there, splayed naked on the bed and just a chip more broken each time. He would sometimes stop at the bathroom door, look back at her for a moment and apologise. And he would really mean it. He genuinely did, but Regina had to wonder how far it went if he always came right back for another round to do it again.

And every time, without fail, when he stopped, panting heavily- he’d then throw a silent tantrum, upset with himself for his lacking and she would continue to lay there like the dead. Unmoving and ungiving to his mannerisms. It wasn’t hard to shut off when trauma came into play. She could count on Frankie leaving the bed after staring at his ceiling blankly for at least ten minutes before going to take a shower and sleep with his back turned to her. She was stuck with him for five full days.

In the morning, he acted as if nothing happened. He would wake, go for a jog, make her workout in the personal gym of the house, force her to eat and start his first run of taking from her. He never spoke during sex. And that was just as bad. To lay there in a dead silence as some stranger continued to break the cardinal rule of deflowering and defacing Regina the way he did, was criminal. And yet, she nearly vomited each time her mind formulated the word ‘rape’. Logic always fought feeling when the consistent questions she asked herself was,

 _Is it really considered rape when this is my job? Is it really rape when he paid for me and I knew he would try to have sex at some point? Even if I didn’t want it? Even though I_ **_don’t_ ** _want it? Is it still rape? Is it rape, or is it my job? As a woman in the prostitution ring like this, do I have a right to claim he raped me when I’m being paid for a service like this? When my job description and the rules of this entire thing, lie in his favour?_

 

_Is it rape?_

_Is it?_

 

It’s all her mind fought to figure out for five days straight. It’s all her mind could focus on even when Frankie’s mother and father had returned from some trip across the border. It’s all her mind could focus on when his mother had went off on him in Latin and Spanish.

“ _Ay dios mios, Francisco. Quid fecisti?_ ”

“Lo siento, mami-”

“Cállate- tu Idiota!”

“Pero, mama-” he whined, but she cut him off with a dangerous glare.

“Francisco! Cá-lla-te!”

Regina wasn’t very well versed in her own hispanic heritage, but she knew hearing Frankie’s mother say ‘Oh my God’ and ‘Idiot’ and call him by his given name in a way of bilingual reprimand, meant something. It meant Frankie had royally fucked up. It meant Frankie had broken one of their rules as well, and maybe that’s why the woman tried being nice to her. Tried mothering her. But why would she mother Regina knowing Frankie had hours more of that behaviour inside of him? Why didn’t she tell him to let Regina leave? Why would they let Frankie get away with something like that to begin with?

But, it was the fifth day and Frankie woke later than usual this day. He’d already taken those five days off to begin with. That was a dead giveaway. Well, it was a giveaway because he told her he was staying and she wasn’t going anywhere. Regina didn’t know what he did for a living. Frankie could have been a murderer for all she knew. She didn’t know what Lolo did either, but that was because Lolo and Frankie were like siblings and Lolo was spoiled rotten so she didn’t _have_ to do anything. The only people she seemed to know a job description for were his two protective goons and that was because it was made obvious that they were Frankie’s body guards. He hadn’t returned to the casino with Regina since the first night and that was about the only thing she found herself grateful for. It would have been worse if she had to sit through men ogling her and then Frankie fucking her at the end of every night because of it. But that wasn’t the only thing that made her confused. Frankie’s pent up anger seemed to rage the more he thought or the more he dealt with people who weren’t Regina. And then, he would take it out _on_ Regina which in turn prevented him from ever.. Coming.

 

But, this morning was different. This morning that he woke, he sat up and pushed his palms into the mattress, steadying himself as if he were about to nurse a hangover. Leave it to Lolo, and Frankie _would_ be nursing a hangover. But he doesn’t drink as much as he likes to lead on. Frankie doesn’t even smoke. Yeah, he always has a stogie in his mouth, but it’s never lit and even when it is, he’s nursing the damn thing until the flame goes out or until the cigar itself burns out. Alcohol seemed to be a thing Frankie had an aversion against if he could manage it. He would sip from the same glass of alcohol the entire night and no one would notice because, much like the fake accent Frankie put on- he managed to make people believe he was also drunk without trying much.

It was just something about Frankie. Some double standard, or double life he led and for all that was good in the world, Regina didn’t know why he didn’t pick one and stick with because it’s not as if they’re completely separate. Both parts of him still can’t keep it up long enough to orgasm, so what was the point?

 

Frankie turned slightly to look at Regina who was still asleep. She doesn’t shift or move much when she sleeps, and he knows that because when she finally sleeps, he turns over to watch her. To look at her and he cries without fail. He cries silently as he stares at her and knows he can’t take back what he’s done. He knows he can’t rectify what he did wrong. Yeah, he used protection. Yeah he figured he was being ‘gentle’, but even he knew when someone didn’t want something and when he did something beyond vile like deflowering her again and again... but the previous night, she’d had a nightmare. That nightmare woke her, screaming. Almost blood curdling in nature, Regina had flinched awake after dreaming she’d die where she lay; that she would never get to leave. That Frankie would strangle her when she least expected it. She’d dreamed she would never get to see Ruby’s face again, see Emma’s face again.. See _his_ face again. Her screams sounded pleading. They sounded broken and sad. They sounded like her final breath. But when she startled, she had woke him too and in waking him, he did the only thing he knew how to do. He held her the way his mother and father would hold him when he was young and had nightmares over the many bludgeoned bodies he saw in his earlier days. He cooed and shushed her, rubbing the top of her head, profusely apologising to her for everything he’s done to her and promising never to do it again. It wasn’t as if that would do him any good. It was supposed to be their last day together, so he couldn’t actually do anything to her. Or for her.

When she had noticed whose arms she was in, Regina had wanted to do everything in her to pull away- to push him away; but the issue was, she was so exhausted- so tired and too weak to fight it, she’d just stayed there. And he had continued to apologise and explain the one thing Regina already knew and knew how to fix.

 

 _“I’m sorry,” he whispered to her. “God, you have no idea how sorry I am. How sorry I feel for doing what I did to you.. I don’t know how to control myself and my anger. I just- I feel… I feel like…” he trails off sighing before groaning. “What I’m trying to say is. I’ve never… no girl has ever managed to get me to.. I can’t cum. I don’t know why- I just can’t. Foreplay gets me off and then sex just kills it for me. I feel like I don’t match up, like I’ll never match up. And I know you don’t need to hear my sob story. I know you don’t need to hear my pain when I looked into your eyes and saw nothing but pain for these past five days. I know I’ve taken from you. I know I’ve hurt you..” he trails off once more before he releases her. “But I need help. I get it. I broke a cardinal rule. But I need help- I want help. I wanted_ your _help and I figured.. I guess I figured you’d, you know. Fix me. I guess I found justification in it because I paid for you, not realizing until just now that it’s still...” he trailed off, bile rising in his throat at the thought of the word._

 

He shivers, looking at her now- he shivers violently.

 _What was I thinking?!_ Frankie scolds himself before angrily running his hands through his hair and nearly pulling some out in the same go round. _Why did I do that to her- fucking Christ!_ He groans before he gets up from the bed completely. Frankie makes his way into the en suite before turning on the shower and stripping completely out of his boxers and t-shirt. He shakes uncomfortably as his mind goes back to the night before once again.

 

 _He had let Regina go after some time and stood up before retrieving his wallet and pulling a few wads from it. Staring at the crisp bills in between his fingers, Frankie gulped heavily._ ** _What am I to do?!_** he questioned himself _._ ** _What the hell am I to do!?_** _the question rung out once more. He gently rests it on the table on Regina’s side and swallows thickly before deciding he wanted to speak to her. Frankie then bends to Regina’s height before he huffs gently to speak. Her body had once again curled in on itself and based on the slight rocking motion, Regina was trying to soothe herself still. Her eyes looked dead and her body looked just as frail as it did the night he picked her up. Frankie hesitated on whether or not he should touch her. On whether or not he should actually talk to the young woman, and at first, he’d let his fear tell him no. He let his fear make him believe he shouldn’t because she would genuinely scowl at him, or she would look at him with only revenge in her eyes. He feared that possibility, even though he knew he deserved it._

_He deserved every bit of Karma coming his way, but- logical Francisco told him he had to rectify the situation. He had to fix it, even if he couldn’t fix it the way he’d hoped he could, he needed to fix it._

_“I know I don’t have a right to ask this, and I know I definitely don’t have a right to do this, but.. I wanted to ask you..I wanted to ask you if you would forgive me, first of all? I just need to know that I can be forgiven- I know I can’t take back what I’ve done- or give you back your innocence, but… is it possible that you could forgive me?” he asks her gently. “Is it possible that you could look past my vile actions and forgive me, please? I’m guilt ridden- as I should be, but could you find it in your heart to grant me pardon?” he found himself rambling only to have no response. Frankie shifted uncomfortably but continued. “I don’t know if you’re catholic or not, but.. In our denomination, what I did was both a sin against you and God and I just…” he ended up trailing off, the guilt too much to vocalize. “Please forgive me for my sin. Please forgive me for my actions. Forgive me for being intrusive and disrespectful to you, Regina….” he had requested. And she did not respond physically. Regina did not respond with any form of movement and her breathing had shallowed significantly. Her eyes seemed to flash slightly, but from what Frankie could tell, she was still not for it. “I will never hurt you again, Regina,” he found himself telling her. “Never again.. But please.. Please- help me.”_

 

_Will you help me? Can you fix me?_

 

 

_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

 

“You seriously asked them to mail you the contract?” her boss questioned her with both confusion and an exasperated sigh. Emma shrugged.

“I said express delivery, via FedEx,” she answered back only to hear him groan.

“Emma-,” he began in reprimand but she huffed.

“-I know! I know. I get it. But I couldn’t wait an extra two days for nothing,” she answered.

“The contract isn’t ‘nothing’, Emma,” he reminds her but she’s shrugging again. “It’s going to be your next pay cheque!”

“That part, I’m aware of, but.. It’s a little bit more complicated than that…”

“..Well, do enlighten me on why you seem to be adamant about avoiding responsibility and money. It’s 48 hours. Unless you have a wife and child at home, a dying parent or anything else remotely close to those two- there’s no need for you to say you will get a contract mailed to you- No wait, I’m sorry. ‘Express delivered’,” he replied, shaking his head.

They were currently having a video call meeting on the plane in first class. Emma specifically chose first class in case something like that had happened, and she was right. Mister Jones didn’t look too happy about it to begin with and he might be even less happy when he hears her reasoning once again.

“It’s Regina,” she says softly, and he does something she hasn’t expected him to do. His face softens almost immediately.

“Sandra,” he calls and his assistant comes over. Emma watches Mister Jones whisper something in her ear before seeing Sandra nod and him watching her as she walks away. An immediate note Emma takes is the _way_ he watched her. It was never predatory.. It was more… longing. She clears her throat and he looks back at her, his face tinging just slightly.

“When are you going to ask her on a date?” Emma questioned him but he sighed gently.

“That’s not what we’re discussing here, Emma,” he reminds but she shrugs.

“Doesn’t mean we can’t. Besides, the yearning look and doey eyed stance says enough.. You like her. Ask her out,” Emma told him simply, but he scoffs.

“You are giving me dating advice when you can’t figure out whether or not you’re in love with this woman you talk about so much and spent so much time with, or if you just need a friend.. Are you really in the boat to give advice, Emma?” he then asks her, smirking when she scowls at him.

“I swear, you act more like a big brother than my boss,” Emma grouses and watches him as he shrugs.

“Possibly, but does it make a difference? I mean, you haven’t stopped talking about her since you’ve met her and I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone become that protective over anyone or care as much, if they’re not in love… To be honest, you didn’t even do that with your ex,” he said, gently treading on the mention of Ciara.

“Well,” Emma sighed. “I guess it’s a good thing I didn’t. Would’ve been even worse with recovery if I had,”

“Yes but… my point is. She matters to you so much, I have to wonder why,” he comments and she bites her bottom lip.

“That much, I still don’t know,”

“I think you do,” he comments but she looks at him, almost sobering. He sighs and holds his hands up. “Fine...Well, what do you know?”

“I do know that today is the day she’s supposed to leave that client and I wanna be there for when she gets back so I can look after her…”

“...buuuut,” he continues, noting the way Emma seemed to realize something.

“Buuut, nothing. I mean, it shouldn’t be anything. I guess…. I don’t know where she lives, but that’s not my only concern.. What if she doesn’t want to see me?”

“She will,” her boss tells her, waving that theory away.

“But what if-,”

“-Emma, pause,” he commanded and she stopped. “Tell me something.. She has friends, right? I mean, besides you,” he asks and she nods. “Okay, get her address from one of her friends and as for her not wanting to see you, I think that’s just your fear rearing its head… She will want to see you. She’s going to need you at some point. You just have to be ready to give it.”

There’s a long pause before he watched Emma nod and then he’s smiling. “Good because if you seriously just left Colorado for leaving Colorado’s sake.. I’ll fire you.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**3 MONTHS. TWO WEEKS. 5 DAYS**

 


	7. The person you have dialed is unavailable

**4 MONTHS**

 

It was slowly inching towards two days of radio silence from the two brunettes in Emma’s life and that did not sit well with her. Day one was full of stress. With her calls from Regina going straight to voicemail and Ruby not answering her other calls, not responding to her texts, or even leaving Emma’s messages on seen, the blonde had to confirm Ruby was effectively trying to avoid her and Regina just never got around to charging her phone… either that or she lost it, but Emma knew that was a stretch. Emma didn’t believe Regina just randomly up and left either. She didn’t think Regina capable of doing anything like that because Regina wasn’t that type of person, from what Emma could tell and has had the pleasure of being around, that the young woman would abandon someone she’s grown so close to. That, and Emma’s sure if Regina were to just up and leave, her car wouldn’t still be parked up in the lot of a Bar. By midday, Emma had gone to check BAR like she said she would only to find her car still parked in the exact same spot. It was sporting a whole lot of dust and that is what confirmed her theory from earlier. And it’s not as if Emma decided to get spare keys cut for her car to move it should she need it, because she didn’t think she’d _have_ to move it. So she’d left it there because, what could you do? She wasn’t about to call a company to come tow her car- _what if Regina came back and needed it?_ Emma shook her head and went inside, in search of Kelsey. She didn’t know any of the other women on the corner and when she’d walked past, she noticed that few of them chose to look the other way. She didn’t know if it was out of respect for Regina or if they knew something she didn’t know and just wouldn’t tell.

She had to shrug away all those thoughts and feelings when she got inside and looked around. Upon first glance, no one Emma knew was behind the counter… to be clear, Kelsey wasn’t behind the counter, and there was no Ruby anywhere in sight either. She huffed lightly before she turned around in another direction, checking every corner of that damn place, just in case Ruby was waiting or watching, or something along those lines

 

“OW! Shit!” The unsuspecting victim hissed as she smashed right into Emma’s spine. Emma winced before her back curled and she painfully inched around to look at the person before her. Broken glass and hot food littered the floor, but the other woman didn’t seem to be faring all that well either. Immediately forgetting her own pain, Emma quickly got down and began helping her clean up the mess, apologising as she did so.

“God, I’m so sorry. I was just looking for someone,” she admits, but the woman shakes her head, not looking at Emma.

“It’s okay. Seriously, I should have been watching where I was going too,” she admitted before hearing Emma sighed.

“No, really. I was looking for a friend.. I can’t find her,” the blonde admits and finally the woman looks up at her. “Kelsey?!” she said in surprise and question. The young woman before her tilted her head as she stood quickly.

“You’re… Regina’s girlfriend, right?”

“Right- I mean.. No… I mean.. I’m her friend, I just also happen to be female-,”

“-UHUH,” Kelsey grinned as she rolled her eyes gently. “Still frazzled I see,” she comments and Emma blushes slightly.

“I guess so, huh… listen, I actually was looking for you to talk to you,”

“Me? Why would you want to see me?”

“It’s about Regina?”

“Well… I can’t really tell you anything considering I don’t know much about her, but.. I guess I can help,” Kelsey admitted and motioned that Emma follow. Kelsey put in another order and dealt with the table the first order was for before she walked outside and lit up a cigarette. She offered one to Emma who hesitated for a moment before shaking her head. “You sure.. You look like you need this.. Or weed,” she commented. Emma rolled her neck before sighing and taking the cigarette. Kelsey lit it for her and watched as Emma took one of the longest drags from it. When Emma breathed out and looked over at her, Kelsey had a brow raised in shock.

“I needed it,” the blonde commented and Kelsey nodded.

“Yeah… I can tell..What did you wanna know?” she questioned and Emma shifted slightly as she spoke.

“When was the last time you saw Regina?” Kelsey shrugged.

“About a week ago, why?” she asked Emma and heard her let out a breath.

“That’s what I thought…” the blonde muttered softly.

“Ruby said Regina was on vacation for a little while though..soooo,” Kelsey then added and Emma somewhat perked up.

“Wait, _that’s_ what Ruby told you?”

“Yeah- Why? Isn’t that what happened? I mean, Ruby’s not here either. She said something about taking a few days off too,” the young woman added only to see Emma bite at her bottom lip in contemplation. “What?”

“Huh?”

“Your face.. It’s scrunched up like you’re confused.. Why?”

“N-Nothing,” Emma waves off, shaking her head. “I was just thinking about it. They didn’t tell me so I just wanted to know if they were okay. I was away for a while-,”

“-Another one of your exciting jobs?” Kelsey smiled and Emma managed a small one.

“Yeah.. not that exciting this time around but, you know... Do you remember when Ruby said that about the vacation, or what day she decided to take time off?” Kelsey shook her head a bit.

“No.. but… follow me,” she told the woman before flicking her cigarette and Emma stubbed hers out before tossing it in the trash. Emma let Kelsey lead her to the office and watched as the woman pulled out a ledger. Kelsey flipped and flipped before she stopped and turned the book over to the blonde. “That’s all we have. Ruby came in like usual about four or five days ago and said she was going to be taking some time off. That was around the same time she said Regina’s already on vacation and probably won’t be back for a bit,” Kelsey relayed, noting Emma’s eyes focusing on the ledger.

“Was there anything else? Did she say whether she was going to see her or something?”

“Yeah, she mentioned something to that extent, but that was about it.. Nothing else besides that. I know it’s not much-,”

“-no.. Actually, it’s more than enough.. Thanks...I just need to find out where Regina lives. My car’s been parked up and I wanna move it, but I really wanna check in on her too. Her phone’s dead and Ruby wasn’t answering my calls,” Emma explains. Kelsey nods once again before she fingers the ledger to the front page and taps it.

“There’s Ruby’s address… but she said it’s not the real one..and there’s Regina’s. That one is real,”

“Cool. Thanks..” Emma says before reading it over. “Okay, I know where this is,”

“Then you should be fine, right?”

“Yeah. Thanks again, Kelsey,”

“Not a problem. When you see Ruby, could you let her know the order is still fucked up?”Kelsey questioned with a soft laugh and Emma grinned.

“Sure thing.”

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Emma swallowed thickly as the cab pulled up to the neighbourhood she remembers seeing on one of her lunch days with Regina. She thought for a split second that the suburban area with a couple of high rise apartments in front was where Regina might have been staying until she read the names on some of the buildings and concluded it couldn’t have been. Even she had to do a double take on them. The names… weren’t catchy, they were corny and clearly indicated only people with money stayed in those apartment complexes. Emma paid the cabbie and began to walk through and onto the backside, and made her way well into the not so nice looking neighbourhood. Her eyes continued to scan until they settled on the name she was looking for.

“Shady Stays...well..no comment,” she muttered before swallowing once again, looking around. Upon first glance, Shady Stays looked- you guessed it. Shady. There were no balconies, barely any front facing windows and the steps were bathed in graffiti. “At least the area around it is clean. Like a high functioning crack house,” Emma groaned slightly. The paint job was somewhat half-assed but that seemed to be because there was a little rejuvenation happening. The sidewalk didn’t look like it’d seen years of wear and tear, but that was probably because that area got the back end of the good concrete from being that close to an actual livable area. Emma stopped her procrastinating and finally headed inside. The iron gate was creaky at best, rusty and ready to give way. _Not the best first impression_ she thought, but she continued on. The linoleum flooring was mostly clean and the mailboxes looked like they’d been shot at a few times, but both things were still functional and that’s pretty much all that mattered. So far, the place didn’t look as abandoned as she thought it might. But that was quickly dashed by the next encounter. Something that quite possibly could have been a cat- _I’m hoping it’s a damn cat and not a fucking raccoon_ \- ran straight in front of her and through the hole she hadn’t noticed until just then.

Emma would be lying if she said she didn’t flinch and move quickly to get to the front desk drenched in dust and missing its receptionist. She huffed at that before spinning around and looking for something in particular. Her eyes zeroed in as she continued to look before they settled on exactly what she’d been searching for.

Her feet moved towards the directory log, eyes quickly flitting over the names until she found the one she was looking for.

_Regina.M_

“Room 409...so she lives in the horror movie room..great. Not scared at all. Nope, not scared,” the blonde lied to herself before she swallowed thickly and decided to take the stairs and not the elevator. Knowing the building as well as she does now, Emma’s almost positive the elevator is out of order and no one wants to put the sign on it. But, she climbs the four flights of stairs and walks with hesitance towards room 409. It isn’t so much that it’s from fear it’s the horror movie room. It’s more because she hasn’t thought of what to say when she sees Regina… _if_ she sees Regina.

 

_406_

_407_

_408_

 

 

_409_

Emma knocks lightly, but swallows thickly as she waits for the door to be answered. Three seconds pass, then five seconds pass before Emma knocks again.

“I’m comin’- I’m comin’!” the voice blares and that has Emma’s brow raising. Before she can turn to leave, the door swings open and Emma is met with the sight of this tiny, round and grumpy old lady. “Who are you?” the woman immediately asks her, squinting. Emma gulps.

“Oh- sorry. I think I have the wrong apartment-,” Emma tells her, attempting to move.

“-Who were you looking for?” the woman interrupts her, head tilting up slightly and a hand coming to rest akimbo.

“I-I-,”

“-Speak up, child. I won’t bite,” the woman assures her. Emma huffs before she gathers herself and nods.

“I was looking for Regina.. I’m a friend of hers,” the blonde says only to see the way the old woman’s eyebrow shoots up, her glasses droop slightly and her mouth shifts in such a manner that it’s clear she had many questions. Instead of speaking, however, the old woman steps aside and allows her access. Emma hesitates, but she takes it because it’s clear this old woman knows something of Regina. She doesn’t have time to look around when Ruby’s walking out, hair wild and ready to break someone’s nose.

“Who was it at the do-....or,” she stumbles to a finish, looking at Emma who turns quickly to look at her.

“I take it you two know each other,” the old woman comments knowingly as she waddles over to the couch and sits.

“We’re friends-,”

“-No!” they both say at the same time, but Granny rolls her eyes and returns to her knitting. A good bit of silence passes as Ruby gets closer and speaks.

“What are you doing here?”

“I was worried about you and Regina and came to find you two...It’s been two days since her-,”

“- I know that,” Ruby quickly interrupts, almost scowling at Emma, but Emma didn’t know that Granny didn’t know what Regina did for a living.

“Why haven’t you been answering me then?”

“I’m on vacation, I’m sure someone told you that,” Ruby said knowingly.

“Yeah.. Kelsey told me.. But that still doesn’t mean you just ignore my calls, I came back early just to check in on her and none of you were answering me,”

“Well, I already told you why I didn’t,”

“Yeah, so why isn’t Regina answering me then?” Emma asked and because Granny knows Ruby won’t tell her flat out, she answers.

“Because Regina hasn’t returned yet,” she says only to see the panic settle in Emma’s eyes.

“What?!” Emma queries in shock. Granny levels her with a look.

“Watch your tone,” the old woman scolds. “You will wake him,” she continues and now Emma’s even more confused.

“Wake who?!” she asks incredulously. Granny looks over at Ruby and then back at Emma. Ruby sighs and now Emma’s even more upset and confused, “What the hell is going on, can someone just tell me, please?!” Emma practically begs before she hears light whimpering, sees Ruby groaning and rolling her eyes at her and Granny huffing as she stands.

“Great, you woke him,” Ruby complains.

“Woke _who_?!” Emma asks again. She doesn’t get an answer by way of speech when a little boy, only about two- comes out, brown hair a mess and a hand pushed up to one of his eyes, clearly crying and whimpering still. Ruby rushes for him, picking him up and attempting to soothe him but he just seems to cry more. Emma swallows as she watches Granny take hold of him and speak to him gently.

“Henry dear, stop crying my little cherub. Your mother will be home soon,” she tells him, giving Emma immediate pause. If Ruby’s there and she’s there and Granny is there… does that mean?

 

_His mother? Wait...no fucking way!_

 

“Regina’s his mother,” the blonde whispers to herself and thankfully no one hears her as she stares at them like a deer in headlights. Ruby’s eyes catch hers before she’s pulling Emma to the side and speaking to her. “Wh-why didn’t she just tell me she was..is a mother?” Emma whispered as low as she could managed.

“To avoid a reaction like this,” Ruby tells her, but Emma comes to enough to glare at her.

“I’m reacting like this because she didn’t tell me,”

“Can you blame her though-,”

“-No. That’s not what I’m saying-,”

“Then what are you saying?” Ruby asked and Emma huffed.

“I’m saying… I would have wanted to know. I wouldn’t have judged her and I get it, you don’t want to bog someone down with telling them things like that but if I knew about him- if I knew the reasons she was struggling so much is because she’s trying to take care of him-,”

“-You would have what? Given her more money? Felt more pity for her? Thought she was using her son to weasel cash out of you?” Ruby asked slightly affronted.

“No,” Emma says bluntly and shortly. “Can you stop trying to speak for me… If I had known that, I wouldn’t have been taking up so much of her time. Time I knew she would have wanted to spend with him over me,”

“That’s not true… she wanted to spend that time with you. Regina never wants to spend time with anyone but you two.. And me, but that’s a given…”

“... I just. I don’t know what to say now,”

“There isn’t anything you _can_ say. She’s a twenty-three year old, single mother in Boston with a dead end job and a son with the most beautiful features I’ve ever seen…” Ruby trails off, eyes falling on the little boy again.

“How old is he?”

“He’s two. He doesn’t speak though.. Just like her in that way,” she sighs gently.

“Yeah,” Emma says distractedly. Granny finally manages to get him to settle enough before setting him back down and letting him walk as shakily as he knows how, over to the couch before attempting to climb into it. Emma doesn’t know what comes over her but she’s over to the little boy and scooting him up by the butt and into the couch. Once he clears it, his chubby little feet kicking at her thigh accidentally, he rights himself and stares at her. _His eyes are beautiful_ she thinks to herself and it’s because the little boy has one brown eye and one blue eye, both extremely rich in colour. His stare- she can’t figure out whether it’s intense or solemn, but he’s looking at her and so are Granny and Ruby. One of them is about to say something at the two people staring at each other until the little boy tilts his head and Emma manages to smile at him. “Hi Henry,” she says quietly, noting how his mouth opens slightly in awe that she knew him. Henry looks down at his tummy, his hands patting it gently before he looks back at Emma with a bit of expectancy. She wonders if he’s still on formula or if he eats solid food now. But she doesn’t have long to think of that when Henry scoots closer to Emma and leans his head onto her arm. His thumb ends up in his mouth and Emma just sits there. She doesn’t flinch at the action of it, taking it as some affection borne simply from seeing someone other than the two women he’s been seeing for days. Ruby looks on with shock, slightly impressed, but shocked nonetheless because Henry doesn’t gravitate towards just anyone. She would know, he was finicky when he first met her and Granny. But he’s taken right to Emma immediately.

“Would you like some tea, dear girl?” Granny questioned her. Emma turned just slightly before shaking her head.

“No thank you. I don’t plan to stay long,” Emma tells her. She’d be lying if she said any of her worry had depleted, but she was so stunned by the news of this adorable child that she’d momentarily forgotten Regina was now ‘missing’. And she didn’t want to believe that word a possibility because there is no way in hell Regina would leave behind her son, right?

Granny just nods but still makes tea for herself as Ruby sits down next to Emma. At first- the blonde looks around the room, noting there was little to nothing in the apartment. However, the few things that were in there which she’d finally noticed were toys for Henry, a few bottles and sippy cups. Four photos in total sat on top of the table before them, causing Emma to lean in and squint.

“That’s Daniel and Henry on the left. Her mother and father on the right. Me and her at the park… and you Emma,” Ruby clarifies quietly. She doesn’t miss Emma’s nod and thick- throated swallow. Emma is then looking over her shoulder and at the old woman before asking,

“Is she Regina’s grandmother then?”

“No child, I’m not her grandmother. Just the landlady,” Granny answers, clearly hearing Emma. “I babysit little Henry when Regina goes to work. Free of charge of course,” she adds and Emma nods slightly. “Regina doesn’t have any other family, but Henry,” Granny goes on as she moves about Regina’s kitchen like she knows it. Emma looks at Ruby who doesn’t deny it. Emma actually thinks she sees something close to sadness in Ruby’s eyes.

“What does she mean by that?” Emma then asks but Ruby shakes her head and stands before walking into the kitchen to get something to drink. After the woman has gotten some water she leans against the counter, watching Granny settle back into the chair and speak.

“Regina’s parents died when she was a young teen. Her father of a heart disease. Her mother of a broken heart. Just as well a disease itself….she met Daniel, Henry’s father- when she started at the college… He passed shortly after his second tour, serving in the army. Henry had just been born and she has been struggling to take care of him ever since,”

“So she-s,”

“Completely and utterly alone.. Yeah,” Ruby said with disdain. She hated even the thought of the word alone as it related to Regina, but that’s just what it was.

“I just hope she’s back in time. Her rent is due yet again and with this coming month.. She will be homeless. I’ve done all I can do to extend her stay, but.. She’s in arrears-,”

“-By how much?” Emma asks in interruption. Granny looks over at her with a look of consternation.

“I’m sorry?”

“How much does Regina owe?” Emma clarifies her question. Granny shrugs slightly.

“Almost seven hundred,” she tells her, but Emma doesn’t react in any other way that would be deemed as shock. Her reaction does however have her pulling out her wallet and taking her cheque book from it. She leans over to write on her lap, only staying still enough because Henry somehow fell asleep against her before she’s writing out the amount and ripping it from its pad. Emma then rests it on the table before she shifts and lifts henry up and into her arms. She pulls her phone from her back pocket and begins to dial out. Granny watches with shock, but Ruby has an idea about just what’s about to happen.

“Hello, hey mom. I need to talk to you really quickly about something,” Emma said. Her pacing had picked up slightly and her bouncing Henry was more like a light jostle.

_“Okay, what’s the matter? Did something happen?” Mal asked with worry._

“Yes and no, but I can’t deal with any of that right now. Could you please just call Skye and tell her I need for her to find me a loft- quick. Something in a high rise, if she can- in a good neighbourhood that’s close to where I work or the city itself. Upstairs and downstairs. Two bedroom- two and a half bath,”

_“Got it and got it… Emma, what’s going on?”_

“Mom- I really wish I could tell you, but I can’t… oh, and make sure it’s fully furnished. When you find that, text me the address so I can give it to Jay.. that’s if he can do the move for me today,” she rambles and her mother sighs gently.

_“Alright, Em. I’ll see what we can find….”_

“Thanks, and mom, the second she finds it, please let me know, I’ll wire the money to your account to pay for it up front… just have Skye co-sign it for me. I need to talk to dad, is he in?”

_“No, he got called in today. He’s at the station,”_

“Good, that’s good. I gotta get going mom, I love you,” Emma said quickly nearly hanging up before her mother finished. Emma unlocked her phone and swiped through her contacts before pressing the call button and waiting. It took two rings before the person picked up.

“Hey, yeah.. Listen, I need you to do me a favour. I actually need you to do me two favours,” Emma began, walking just as aimlessly and now, gently bouncing a still sleeping Henry in her arms. “No, I need you to do it today, so can you move some stuff around and do this for me or should I call someone else...You can do it?.... Awesome, thanks Jay. Yeah, pack up the whole place and move it to the address.. I don’t have the address yet, my mom’s about to look for somewhere right now… yeah, I’m buying it on the spot.. Trust me, Skye already knows what I was looking for.. I’ll text you this address, the landlady will be in and she’ll let you know.. Room 409. Just remember that…. And take the stairs. The elevator is...taking a nap,” she concluded. “No.. from the looks, it isn’t too much. Maybe twenty boxes max. Leave all the appliances and furniture- like I said, Skye knows what I’m looking for, i wouldn’t be surprised if she already told my mom that… yeah, yeah- thanks Jay. Alright. Bye,” Emma said before hanging up. She turned to Ruby before she spoke again. “Where’s his things. Clothes, shoes, toys, bottles- all of that?” Emma asked.

“I’ll pack him a bag,” the woman answered and Emma nodded before she bent slightly, picked up the cheque and passed it to the old woman.

“That should cover Regina’s backed up rent and whatever else she owes, but I’m not staying here, and neither is Henry. And I know you do don’t know me very well- or at all for that matter, but I care about her and I care about Henry. I can’t have them living in a place like this. It isn’t healthy and it isn’t safe.. And had I known, I’d have-,”

“-It’s fine child,” Granny waves off. “I understand. There’s no need to explain yourself to me.. Just be careful with Henry. He is a very sickly little boy due to his asthma… poor child has underdeveloped lungs. His medication and nebulizer are in the fridge,” is what she says in response and it seems to be all she will say to Emma because she stops speaking after that only to have Emma nod a little bit at her. Ruby appears in the room with a bag packed almost to the brim with things for Henry before she heads over to the fridge and takes out his medication and his nebulizer. She puts those in a cooler bag before zipping it shut and grabbing something else out of Regina’s kitchen drawer and sticking that in her jacket. Emma shoulders the bag and looks at Granny one more time who just manages to smile at her and nod. Emma nods back and looks at Ruby who says.

“Come on, I’ll drive you in my car.”

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Ruby surprises Emma to say the least. After they packed Henry’s hags into Ruby’s car, Emma got in the back passenger seat and strapped herself in, holding the still sleeping boy against her chest. She tilted her head back with a sigh as she thought of everything and nothing. _How could she let two days pass and say nothing- ignore every single call and justify it with ‘I was on vacation’!! How do you do something like that when your supposed friend is...is.. She’s-_

“-Emma?” Ruby called and the blond flinched. Henry just took in a staggered breath but he didn’t wake.

“Huh?”

“I asked where you were going,” Ruby reiterated and Emma shifted.

“To the police station. I need to talk to my dad,” she says. Ruby’s reaction is almost stoic as she nods, turns back and begins driving towards the station. Once they arrive, Emma is the first out with Henry’s bag on her shoulder and his other bag with his medication and nebulizer, swinging against her back. Ruby pretty much has to jog to catch up to her as the blonde’s wavy locks flow through the halls. It’s obvious Emma knows her way around the station, having been the chief’s daughter, it’s kind of a given.  Emma gets a few his and hellos here and there with smiles adorning people’s faces. She’s nearly positive it isn’t because she’s visiting and more so because she had a little boy with her, asleep against her like he might actually be hers.

She does her best to greet them nicely but other than that, Emma’s main focus is finding her dad, and she does- after she’s just waltzed straight through the bullpen and towards his office door. One of her father’s officers tries to stop her, but her father’s door opens almost immediately.

“Emma?” her father questioned, looking at the way she seemed frazzled and ..obviously worried.

“Yeah- hey dad umm, I need your help-,” she only managed to say before her phone rang. Emma quickly pulled it out and answered. “Yeah- uhuh.. Yeah that’s the one- okay, thanks Skye. Just message me the address- I need to get it to Jay…. I know he’s your husband but I told him I’d message him- okay.. Okay-fine, thank you. Just please make sure you send that to him right away,” she says before nodding some more and then hanging up.

“Emma- you mind telling me what’s going on and why you have a child with you?” her father queried and she nodded. David motioned that the young officer get her a chair so she could sit. Henry stirred and whimpered but she easily soothed him. David sat and stared at her expectantly, still not noticing Ruby just standing there. Ruby was dressed like any other normal person. Plain t-shirt and jeans with some sneakers. She didn’t look like the nightwalker she was always told she was, so that pretty much helped her for the moment.

“This is Henry and he’s going to be staying with me for a while, but that part isn’t important...It’s about Regina.. I haven’t gotten any response from her in a little while and I’m worried about her,”

“How long has she been.. M.I.A,” her father words knowing how much Emma hated the word missing. Her annoyance with it peaked when her labrador had first went missing. At the time, to Emma- the word meant dead and for as long as both David and Mal could remember- she’s consistently associated that word with death.

“I don’t know, that’s the problem,” his daughter answered, slightly frazzled, slightly upset, but a whole lot of annoyed.

“What do you mean you don’t know?-”

“-Because I don’t! Ruby keeps covering shit up so I don’t know if Regina’s alive- or if she’s dead, or if she actually is missing, or if she ran away!” Emma seethed angrily and finally David looked over at Ruby. His eyebrow cocked into an arch as he leaned back into his chair and folded his arms. The entire bullpen was looking at them now because of how loud Emma was. Ruby scowled back at David knowingly. As much as she wanted to argue with Emma, she had more history with the girl’s father.

“Rulan,” David said shortly and Ruby scoffed.

“Davis,” she answered even though she knew Davis wasn’t his name. Rulan was hers, though.

“I should have known you’d be involved in something this stressing… Where is she,” he said more than he asked, not wasting any time or giving her a moment to smartly respond.

“I know about as much as the rest of you. Which is nothing,” Ruby told him. She now stood with arms folded.

“Cut the crap and tell me what you know-,”

“-Listen, just because she’s your daughter, doesn’t give you the right to rail on me. I don’t. Know-anything!” Ruby growled at him.

“Give me your phone,” he said.

“What?”

“I said- give me your phone.. Tony- Call Christian, I need him to write up a report for me and trace all past activity from this phone,” David says but Ruby scowls harder.

“I told you- I don’t know anything. I haven’t heard from Regina since she left seven days ago!” Ruby argued bringing pause to David’s shift. He motioned for Tony to stand still before he sat up.

“You both waited seven days before reporting her missing?!” he asked, looking between both of them with a look of utter disappointment.

“No. Regina had a client to deal with for five days straight. She’s not allowed to use her phone during that time, so neither of us heard from her…. she’s just been missing for almost two days now- that’s our problem. But Ruby ignored my calls, she ignored my texts and I had to go ask one of the girls at the bar for their addresses just to find her-”

“-Do you even know why I did that?”

“Beats. Fucking. Me,” Emma grinds out.

“How about, because I didn’t wanna worry you with something that might be nothing? How about, I didn’t know what the fuck I was going to tell you when you came back that Regina was missing, or that I haven’t heard from her. That I haven’t gotten a call, a message- something!” Ruby argued back, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. “You’re not the only one scared, Emma! You’re not the only one afraid of the fucking unknown! Shit! What the hell was I supposed to do or say? What? Was I to come in here and announce we have a missing prostitute? Do you know how many people would laugh at me and play it off as if it were common- be cause it is!! A hooker going missing isn’t something anyone takes seriously! But you’re not the only one who gets to be upset! You’re not the only one who cares about her!”

“Clearly I am because you wouldn’t fucking say anything!”

“Because I don’t know anything!”

“Yes you do! You know she’s.. She’s… fuck- She’s MISSING! DO YOU NOT GET THAT! REGINA HAS BEEN GONE FOR MORE THAN A FUCKING WEEK AND YOU’RE SITTING THERE JUST HAPPY- HAPPY JOY JOY WITH HENRY LIKE SHE’S GOING TO RANDOMLY POP UP AT HER OWN DOOR?!” Emma shouted, jerking Henry awake. His eyes lazily opened with her motions and as he pushed away from her shoulder to only see how upset she was, he began to cry, “Shit,” Emma hissed before she began bouncing him and walking around. “Shh-shhh, it’s okay buddy. I’m sorry. It’s okay, I was just upset. Don’t be afraid, Henry- it’s okay,” Emma cooed and cooed and he settled slowly. Henry hiccupped a breath before resting his head back on Emma’s shoulder.

“Emma, take a seat.. Ruby- I need to know everything you _do_ know about the client Regina went with and what he was wearing, anything like that. Tony, get your sketchpad- you’re up.”

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“No- no, he had green eyes.. Somewhat like Emma’s…” Ruby explained before looking over to the blonde still sitting there. Emma was busy humming to Henry and stroking the top of his head to soothe him. Tony tapped her hand lightly before he showed her the completed drawing and Ruby nodded.

“Yeah.. that’s it,” she said and Tony got up to go to the copier machine.

“Any visible face tattoos,” David asked but she shook her head. Ruby turned to face him.

“No.. none that I could see. He was too clean. I mean, he was slimy with how he spoke, but other than that- he was clean. He never got out so I don’t know. His hair was wild and curly and he had this broken Italian accent,”

“Broken, what do you mean by broken?”

“Like he was trying too hard. I don’t really remember what he was wearing and the plates on his escalade were missing, but it was a right hand drive… odd fucking modification that is,” Ruby grumbled.

“A right hand drive escalade,” David squinted and Ruby looked at him as if he might know something.

“What?”

“Nothing… what else can you tell me, was he travelling with anyone?”

“Yeah, two idiotic goons, both packing and a little over six feet. One was about I’d say 180, the other looked like he lifted for a living so I’d say 240-250, no more no less. He was bald, his voice was a little gravelly but that’s about it. The other one looked trigger happy and had a tattoo on his neck,”

“Do you remember anything from the tattoo,”

“It looked like a family crest. Like a viper strangling a lion or something,”

“Are you sure?” David asked.

“About as sure as I can be about something like that,” Ruby admitted and David nodded. David then turned to his computer and went through their database to look up some of the crests from known mobs in the city. He got three matches before he turned the computer screen towards Ruby and she narrowed it down between two of them. David then cross-referenced the information in their system’s database and that pulled up a few files they’d had to call cold cases. Of the files were photos of the Fusilli's and the Mayores’.

“That’s not possible,” he whispered and Ruby looked at him.

“What’s not possible… David-,”

“-shhh.. Just, let me think,” he said but she stood up and rounded the computer before leaning over his shoulder and staring at the screen. Ruby’s finger immediately shot out as she pointed.

“That’s the guy.. That’s him.. and those are his idiot goons. That’s the guy with the tattoo on his neck and the benchpressing pretty boy,” she commented but David shook his head.

“That’s impossible,”

“Could you explain why and stop saying it is!” Ruby scolded and he huffed.

“These people are from two different mobs. The guy you just labelled is Frankie Fusilli Jr. that other one with the tattoo, that’s his cousin Bruno and the ‘benchpressing pretty boy… that’s Nino. Nino has no relation to the Fusilli’s and no relation to the Mayores.. Not as far as anyone knows, but we believe that Luz, is Frankie’s mother…. But it’s never been recorded that two mobs cohabitate like that.. We never had a way of connecting the dots on any of them.. Some of their charges never make it to the courts. The judge either ends up dead or they throw the case out.,”

“Well, that’s him. I’m telling you.. Listen… this might help,” Ruby said before pulling out the envelope and resting it on the desk. David eyed it before eyeing her and opening it with his pen. His eyes flickered for a moment.

“Where did you get this?” he asked and Ruby rolled her eyes at the memory.

“Daddy’s little brat threw it at me after threatening to kill me and Regina because he said he didn’t care what she was dealing with he’s paying to take her. And the fucker took her,”

“And you’re sure it’s Frankie who threatened you,” David asked just to be sure.

“Look, run fingerprints on ‘em or something but I’m telling you, I saw what I saw and what I saw, was that kid-,”

“-Chief.. Sketches are done,” Tony interrupted before he passed one off to David. David swallowed before he looked back at Ruby and held it up next to his computer screen.. Ruby had described Frankie almost perfectly. David put the paper down and nodded at Ruby before he looked at Tony and spoke.

“Tony- Get Angela.. We need forensics to check these. Every single last one of them. Tell her to run it against these three in the system. Francisco ‘Frankie’ Fusilli, Bruno ‘BJ’ Fusilli and Nino De la Rosa.. take this and bag it, tag it and let them do their work. Take anything out of it and I’ll break your hands myself- we clear?” he warned and the young man nodded quickly.

“Good, GO.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

After that live mess and a bit of running around, the first few traces of fingerprints had been scanned and matched up. What wasn’t partial or stained over with another print came back conclusive. Some held BJ’s prints and some held Nino’s. Others belong to Frankie’s parents and of course Ruby. There were other unidentifiable prints, but by the fourtieth bill, the initial bill that sat on the top of the stack Frankie had purposely handled before he threw the wad at Ruby, held a perfect print. Angela ran it twice and it was a positive match for Francisco Fusilli. She sent Tony back with that particular bill, bagged and tagged, a report written and the spot identified.

“Chief! Chief! It matches,” Tony shouted as he jogged through the bullpen. During his absence Emma became the topic of conversation as everyone cooed at little Henry. She explained his shyness to them, but they were more for congratulating her on finally settling down with a nice woman and having a child. Emma snorted internally because she doesn’t think Regina would ever want to be with her as more than a friend. But them being proud of her made her smile. Everyone in the precinct knew Emma was intersex and because of that they never put her in a box as it related to who she would settle down with. She did cringe when one of them mentioned that Ciara birthed a beautiful little boy and she had to correct them that she hasn’t been with Ciara for a good while. But her biggest fan was her father’s closest and oldest friend who also just happened to be Mulan’s uncle. He’d told her that Henry looks so much like her and Emma felt herself blush, but she also felt herself feel guilty because this little boy has a father.. He just has a father who passed away.

Angela came in directly after, walking through the crowd of people and smirking at Tony’s excitement. David shares a look with the woman. A silent conversation of are you sure passing between them as she nods to confirm.

“Good,” David answered, garnering attention from both his daughter and Ruby. Emma ignored conversation with the rest of the bullpen and followed her father. Everyone else followed along.

“What do we do now, chief?” one of them asked but David shook his head.

“There’s nothing we can do as of right now. I would say to put out an APB, but we’re not sure if she’s been released or if they still have her,” David answers. There’s murmurs going around and around until David speaks once again. “All we can do is watch them for the day. Collins, you and Tony are on stakeout duty,”

“Yes sir,”

“Good, now tomorrow, when we have more to work with- the three of you are coming with me. The rest of you.. Back to work,” he finally decided before pointing out Tony, Angela and Collins. “Emma, you’ll come with me tomorrow… you’ll have to leave him here,” David told her. She shook her head but he huffed. “Emma- you can’t take a child into a possible shootout. You’ll need to leave Henry here,” he reiterated and she huffed back.

“Emma.. don’t worry, I’ll watch him… there’s still that holding room isn’t there?” Ruby asked David who nodded.

“Yeah. Tony- show her the room and as soon as you’re finished, you follow me,” David said as he began walking out of the bullpen. “Everyone else, follow me.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

It’s almost nine by the time Emma’s father drops her off to her new apartment. He’d taken her to the store and helped her pick out different textured foods for Henry before he took her in. Emma was met with her contract on the granite kitchen counter and multiple boxes lining the different rooms. Her things from the hotel had been brought in and the clearly labelled boxes of things that belonged to Regina were there as well. Emma set Henry’s medication and nebulizer into the fridge before she made him something to eat. Thankfully Henry was on solid foods so the grapes she gave him and the mac’n’cheese with sausages worked perfectly. Emma wasn’t a five star chef, but she knew how to cook and making mac’n’cheese from scratch took some time, but it was worth it. She’d the made Henry a hot bottle for the evening to help him go to bed but because the little boy had slept so much earlier,he was pretty much wide awake. Emma decides to take a look around the place after she set him up to watch tv and she had to hand it to Skye, the woman was fast. It wasn’t a surprise Skye still had this place in her log considering Emma’s always had a book of potential apartment complexes to live in. It just happened to work at the exact right time that she needed one. Though, she wishes it were under different pretense. She walked through a little bit more, taking the stairs in twos as she looks out and over the loft. It’s immaculate and it’s big which she appreciates. Her balcony overlooks a part of Boston that clips just shy of the sea, but it’s beautiful nonetheless. Emma sighs within herself before she heads back down the stairs and settled beside the two year old.

 

“What you doing, buddy?” she asked Henry who was no longer looking at the tv but messing with his toes. “Trust me kid, they become less interesting by the time you figure out what crayons are,” she smirks at him and he looks at her for a moment before giving her a toothy smile. Emma kisses his head before reaching over and grabbing her tablet from off the table. She begins to swipe through it and ends up on a rooms to go website. During her little check up with the loft, she noticed that Henry’s bed was a full sized bed and that’s not safe for him, so she’s looking for something different. Something where he can have the big boy bed but with the protection of a crib. “What do you think, Hen.. you like this one?” she asked him. The first bed was simple oak that look like it had been carved by hand, but Henry’s reaction was a scrunched up face and Emma had to wonder if it was because he might be doing what she thinks, or if it’s because he genuinely doesn’t like it. She slides the screen to another one and asks him again. “What about this one?” but he gives her the exact same face so she just sets it in his lap. “Okay, fine. You find it and show me what you want,” she told him. Now, Emma might be reaching- but she has belief that Henry genuinely understood her. She couldn’t be that far off, children as young as one tend to understand what the adult is saying. He shouldn’t be any different. And he’s not. Henry’s chubby little finger glides aimlessly and he jabs at certain things. Of course he’d like everything he sees because they’re full of colours and they look like things he might wanna chew on, but for the most part he’s not settling. Emma just concludes he’s not fully into it but she bets if he sees something he likes, he’d probably crack the screen trying to relay that.

So, she leaves him to it and a good while of jabbing, Henry’s eyes widen in interest at one of the beds. He wiggles happily and Emma looks at him before she looks back at the bed and speaks. “You like that one?” she asks, pointing to it and he nods eagerly. “Then we’ll get that one,” she tells him before she quickly sets the order for it. Emma then picks him up and gives him a bath in the kitchen sink before she settles him into some warm clothes and lays him down in her bed. She shuts out the lights but pulls the curtains open just in case he’s afraid of the dark, which he’s not. He does snuggle in closely to her and after a good bit of humming, Emma watches him fall asleep but she’s left awake with her thoughts. She tries to ignore every single last one of them, but it’s impossible to do something like that when everywhere she looks and every person she looks at hasher thinking of it all. Emma sighs before she blindly reaches for her phone and calls an unsuspecting person.

 

_“Hello?”_

_“Hey.. I … I just need someone to talk to right now,” the blonde tell her and she hears a huff._

_“You haven’t spoken to me in months, but.. Okay. What’s the problem?”_

_“Nothing- nevermind,” Emma says only to hear another huff._

_“Emma- seriously,”_

_“It’s nothing.. Besides, you’re right I haven’t spoken to you in months for a reason, but that’s fine. I’m starting to remember why,”_

_“Well… okay. But, I just thought you should know. I’m clean. I’m getting help,”_

_“That’s good.. That’s really good,”_

_“Yeah, I guess it is, huh… If you guys didn’t do what you did I’d probably still be stupid enough to stay. But I didn’t. After that last time- that was it.. I thought he’d changed, but I guess not, so… here I am,”_

_“I’m proud of you, Aurora,”_

_“I’m proud of me too.. Emma?”_

_“Yeah?”_

_“What’s wrong?” she asked only to hear a soft groan._

_“I don’t know how to describe it without feeling emotional but someone I care a lot for is missing and I’m keeping her two year old until we can find her, but every time I look at him, I only see her and I just feel even worse…”_

_“Because you can’t find her and you wanna know if she’s okay?” Aurora asked knowingly and Emma huffed once more._

_“Yeah…”_

_“..I don’t know what to tell you but I guess that’s not why you called..”_

_“..you would be right. Just needed to get it off my chest,”_

_“Did you?”_

_“Some of it.. I need to go. I have an early day tomorrow,” Emma says but Aurora gathers what she means._

_“You’ll find her Emma. You’re kind of known for finding people,” Aurora teases and Emma amanges a ghost of a smile._

_“Not everyone.. Night Rory,”_

_“Night Emma.”_

 

_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

**4 MONTHS. 1 DAY**

“Can you confirm visual?” David muttered into his radio. He waited a second before it crackled and a response came through.

“We can confirm visual… Standby. Tailing suspect,” Collins answered. “Suspect is on the move… Oh-ho ho… we can now confirm full visual on suspects one through three. Entering from the Northern side of the building- our good boy Frankie has a kick to his step,” Collins relays, breaking police jargon. David rolls his eyes.

“Collins, focus.. Is Frankie armed?”

“That’s a negative but goons one and two definitely are. That lady must’ve known what she was talking about because trigger happy BJ is twitching like he knows what’s up,”

“Well, if we’re lucky, he’ll be surprised… call it in Collins,”

“You got it chief- WAIT, shit.. Chief we got a bit of a hiccup...”

“Explain,”

“We’ve got a possible hostage situation right now. Male 5’4. No more than 110 pounds,”

“Has he been bagged?”

“He has not, but he’s been ziptied. Kid looks like he’s about two seconds from shitting himself,”

“Then I guess today is a two for one.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Frankie was busy sitting on some high throne like chair with lions adorning the sides as he picked through his fingernails. BJ was holding a squirming young man before him and Nino stood next to Frankie, rolling his eyes. Frankie pulled out his knife and flicked it, revealing the blade. The young boy squirmed furiously but Frankie seemed to pay him no mind. BJ began to jostle the young man before tossing him to the ground and stepping on top of him. Nino cleared his throat and Frankie finally looked up at the young man and his cousin.

“For fucks sake B. Let the kid go, would ya!” Frankie said annoyed and BJ grinned evilly before he eased off of the young man. Frankie stood up before rounding on the teen and cutting the ties around his wrists. He pulls the boy to his feet and speaks. “Where is he?” he asked again but the boy shook his head frantically.

“I swear Mister Frankie- I don’t know!” the young man cried but Frankie huffed.

“My sources say you were the last one to see him.. So where is he?”

“I don’t know, I swear I don’t! We had an argument and he just left after that,” the boy admitted. Frankie’s brow creased.

“An argument.. Over what?”

“I-...I can’t tell you, he’ll kill me,”

“And you think I won’t?” Frankie asked him calmly. Frankie actually wouldn’t kill him. Frankie’s never killed anyone to be precise, but few people actually knew that. The young man swallowed before he sighed heavily, tears forming in his eyes.

“I really can’t… he’s.. It’s why he was so upset,” the young man explained. Frankie scratched his eyebrow, careful not to cut himself with his knife as he thought on.

“Explain,”

“He threatened me. He said if any of you found out, he’d be the laughing stock of the family,” the young man relayed.

“He does realize he doesn’t owe Fusillis or Mayores anything… Louie and Lolo are honorary members of the family… now what was the argument about?”

“Louie’s… gay,” the young man told him, looking anywhere but in Frankie’s eyes.

“That’s his big tiff? He knows his sista’s a.. What do you call em?”

“Bisexual,” Nino said carefully.

“Yeah.. she likes revolving doors. So what if he’s gay! That’s why he’s missing?!” Frankie queries and the young man before him shrugs helplessly.

“I don’t know.. But that’s all I can think of. Louie never told me anything, so I don’t know,”

“Then how do you know about that whole gay thing?” Frankie questions and the young man falls silent. BJ catches it before anyone else.

“Fuck… they’re datin’, Franks,” he said nearly groaning at the thought.

“You-re dat-,”

“-POLICE! Don’t move! Everyone, drop your weapons and get down on the ground! Get down on the ground! Francisco, Bruno, Nino! Drop ‘em! Down. On. The Ground!” Collins blared through as he, David and Tony came through quickly. Frankie tossed his knife willingly but Bruno attempted to shoot at one of them and immediately got a bullet to the leg. He went down, hearing Collins repeat his order and Bruno, like a disgruntled child- threw his gun. Nino slid his over to David’s feet and David kicked them away, allowing Angela to pick them all up and bag them. Collins and Tony searched to make sure they didn’t have anything else before nodding the all clear. David walked closer before he checked the young man over.

“Who are you?”

“I’m… I’m.. I’m Louie’s boyfriend,” he squeaked out.

“Who is Louie?”

“Louie’s a friend of a friend,” Frankie mumbled and David looked over to him. He looked back at the young boy before motioning he go over to Angela. She checks him over and gives him the all clear. The young boy flees immediately.

“You mind explaining to me why you have a fifteen year old hostage, Francisco?” David questioned. He holstered his gun and waited.

“In my defense, my idiot cousin over there did that. I told him not to, but he figured the kid would be a flight risk,” Frankie said from the ground. His voice was strained because he was still laying on his chest but David motioned they let him sit and cuff Nino for the time being. Bruno was rocking back and forth on his now screwed up leg. Angela made quick work of taking the bullet out of Bruno’s leg but she wasn’t gentle with patching him up. “No,” Frankie said brushing the dust from his clothes. “What can I do for you officers?” he asked them.

“Where were you a week ago around eight and eleven?” David immediately asked him and Frankie licked his lip before he responded. He unbuttoned his vest and took it off. Emma stepped into view, her jaw set and anger ready to boil over if Frankie so much as said something she didn’t like.

“I-,” he started before running a hand through his hair. “-was on the hunt for some pussy, good officer,”

“ _Where_?” David enunciated.

“All over. Didn’t matter. I was looking for the perfect woman,”

“And I take it you found her,” he commented and Frankie smirked.

“Yeah- why you askin’?”

“Because that woman you found Frankie- is missing,” David told him. Frankie’s face faltered.

“What the fuck you mean missing? Listen, I didn’t kill nobody,”

“Unfortunately for you. I don’t believe you,” David commented.

“Listen, you got the wrong guy okay- yeah I got me a girl, but she was a prostitute and she was worth the money I paid for her. You know as well as I do a payment is an agreement, it ain’t got nothin’ ta do with me if she goes missing afterwards. I ain’t ha keepa. She was a few nights of fun and sex. Just some D grade pussy with a nice face!-”

“THAT’S ENOUGH,” David roared angrily. Frankie smirked.

“Hit a nerve officer? Listen, ain’t nothing illegal about me paying for some sexual favours. It’s illegal to prostitute, not illegal to get pussy. Which I did. For five days straight. Man, she was tight-,” Frankie managed before David stepped closer to him and he flinched.

“Francisco, I’m warning you- shut. up.”

“Or what? You’ll spank me.. It ain’t no skin off my back. Not my fault she was the best head I ever got. And it ain’t my fault she got me to blow my load… Twice! Listen, if you think I’m lying- you are free to check my room. I’m pretty sure the condom I wore is still laying on the floor full of my seed,” he said sadistically.

“That’s just it you fuckwad, you weren’t supposed to take her to begin with and you knew that!” Emma growled. Frankie rolled his eyes, aggravated by the disturbance.

“Oi! Who the fuck are you?”

“I’m the woman who’s going to level your pasty ass face into the concrete if you don’t tell me where Regina is!” Emma seethed as she stalked closer. They were face to face, Emma’s fist curling once and then once more. Emma’s father attempted to calm her but she pulled away from him and stepped closer to Frankie who gulped.

“Wait.. _you’re_ lookin’ for Regina?” he asked. Emma didn’t respond, her jaw still set. “L-listen man, I didn’t do nothin’ to ha. I paid for five days and a little more to have some fun.. That’s all she was- a bit of fun,”

“You think forcefully taking a woman against her will and saying you don’t care you’ll ‘get pussy whether they like it or not’ is something that sounds like fun?” Emma asked him and he swallowed.

“I-,”

“-Shut the fuck up!” she shouted. “You _took_ a woman who has a specific job description and you intended to rape her. Who the fuck am I kidding- you probably did rape her!”

“Shut up,” Frankie said, looking away from her.

“Why? Because you raped her and now you’re playing it off like you didn’t?” Emma asked him, pushing her face against his and Frankie bit his lip.

“I said. Shut up,”

“Where. Is. She- Frankie?” Emma enunciated, avoiding the urge to beat him to death because she knows, Frankie did something to Regina he shouldn’t have.

“Fucked if I know. She left after. I blew my load and she disappeared…” he told her watching her strength falter

“She wouldn’t do that. She wouldn’t do what you said she did,” Emma says in disbelief and Frankie feels himself build in strength again.

“She did. I just had to ask nicely. You should’ve seen her. Rides like a champ,” he compliments and that’s it for Emma. Her fist connects with Frankie’s face enough times that even though he’s laughing, he’s letting her beat him as badly because he’s still wracked with his own guilt for raping her. He intentionally said everything he could say because he needed someone to correct him. He wanted exactly what Emma was doing to him and so much more, but it stops all too quickly when David pulls her off of Frankie and pushes her back. David motions that Collins escort Angela through the house to find the room so that she can check it all out. Sure enough, there is a condom lying on the ground. The sheets are still ruffled and what looks to be a stain is also on the bed. Angela bags up the sheets, the blankets, the condom and whatever else she can find in the room and bathroom. She takes the trashcan that has other condoms in it before she and Collins reappear before the group. Frankie, Bruno and Nino are then cuffed and are then being led towards the cop cars. Emma shoves him in before she speaks, low and dangerous.

“If we don’t find her... Sleep with one eye open, because I’ll fucking slit your throat if we don’t,” she tells Frankie. He doesn’t look scared, but he does nod before he says something that for the first time- lets Emma know he means it.

“I won’t try to stop you, if you do.”

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

Emma makes a few cryptic calls as they head back into the station with Frankie in the back seat of the patrol car. She was talking to her mom about how Henry was adjusting and he seemed to be more than fine. Earlier that morning, Emma had shown up on their doorstep with Henry’s bag and medication and finally just broke down in tears. Her mother got a hold of the sleeping little boy as her father brought her inside and let her lay her heart bare. Neither of them have ever seen Emma react that way over anyone or cry this hard over anyone and she was beyond her limit as it related to Regina. She wailed and swore and cried painfully because she was scared and she just wanted to know Regina was fine. It was probably within her best interest that she’d taken him over to her parents’ place because Emma now had a little more support than she initially started out with.

Once she had gathered herself and managed to calm herself, Emma let them meet Henry formally. Her father wasn’t very affectionate with Henr, but that was because Henry seemed beyond shy. Her mother had done a better job, having that instinct in her to parent, she already knew how to handle Henry. That was a good thing because the hours were passing and neither David or his daughter could sleep, knowing they needed to be on guard for this. When morning broke through, Emma was up and ready to go, her father following behind shortly after. She’d then left with her dad shortly after giving her mother the run down on Henry’s needs. But that was now hours ago and Mal told her they were in her apartment, closer to the station should Emma want to check in on him. That was something she appreciated deeply.

Her father had already put out an APB for Regina even though they didn’t have her in the system at all. They just went off of a description Emma and Ruby gave and one of the other artists had managed to quickly sketch it out.

“Yes- a ten mile radius,” David said into his cellphone. “We don’t have a possible outfit for her, just go by the facial features….” he trailed off and Emma went back to her conversation with her mother. She relayed as much as she could as creatively as she could before she spoke with Henry for a little bit. He still wasn’t speaking but Emma was told he was giggling so that was a good thing. Her mother had also told her she was going to make him lunch before putting him down for a nap. Emma pretty much teased her mother with the way even she was so drawn to Henry

 

And then the skies opened and rain came down. Heavily. Emma looked through the bleary atmosphere and sighed as they managed to get to the station and process Frankie, Nino and Bruno. Emma’s confused as to why Frankie goes as willingly as he does, but she can’t bring herself to care that much more than she already does about him. She still wants to kill him and her father knows this. That’s why he hasn’t bothered reprimanding her for her behaviour. Besides, if he said anything to her she’d have a justified reason. Which he won’t challenge. Instead, they use the information they do have and the time Angela now has to see if they can figure anything out about it at all. It could be a dead end, then again- it couldn’t be. By the way Frankie answered about Regina- Emma sees that as enough confirmation that she was in fact there. But her attention is taken away when her father calls her over and is putting tacks on the map, all covering a ten mile radius. The modes of transportation Regina could have possibly taken are also tagged, but Emma is quick to debunk a few.

“Regina doesn’t have a car, and she wouldn’t take a taxi… she doesn’t speak. She’s kind of afraid of people. I’ve never seen her take the public bus, btu I know she walks just about everywhere she needs to go,”

“Emma.. are you sure?” her father asks and she nods.

“Yeah, we did a lot of that when we hung out. She likes to walk. If you’re looking for her, she’ll be walking.. I’m positive.”


	8. Chapter 8

“Chief,” someone called and David turned, his arms folded before his chest as he looked away from the bulletin momentarily. He regarded the person with a distracted look.

“Anything?” he asked, his eyes focusing in on the voice and person. It was Collins. Collins looked down at his notepad, going through the list of patrol cars that called it in.

“That’s a negative, sir,” he answered with a soft shake of his head. David’s finger extended towards Collins as he responded.

“You keep looking,” he tells the man and Collins nods quickly before turning to leave. David watches as Collins goes before he sighs and turns back to the bulletin. He pulls the corresponding tacks out of the board and tosses them into the tray. So far they’ve been hitting brick wall after brick wall and in the rain, it’s much worse to determine who is who.

“Anything?” he hears his daughter ask him, but all he can do is sigh heavily, shake his head and apologise to her.

“No.. We’re shooting blanks,” he answers. “I told Collins to keep checking, but we’ve covered the ten mile radius already.. It’s been four hours Emma- night is falling,” her father tells her, hoping to ease it out that maybe they _should_ stop for the day, even though he doesn’t even want to stop it.

“Dad- we can’t. She’s out there somewhere. I’m sure she is-”

“-Emma,” he begins, tired and exasperated, but his daughter shakes her head. She’s about to respond when her phone goes off. David hears and motions she answer it which she does.

“Hello?”

“Emma- Jesus Christ! Where have you been, I’ve been trying to call you this entire time,” Mal scolds.

“I’m sorry, what is it? Did something go wrong? Is it Henry? Is he okay?” she asks frantically and her mother sighs. Her father looks at her worriedly.

“He’s fine now,” Mal informs and before Emma can worry more she continues. “Your friend.. Ruby, she had to take us to the hospital,”

“Why? What’s wrong? What happened to him?”

“Nothing they couldn’t fix… Earlier when I had tried to put him down for a nap, he was fussy. I assumed it was just because of his age and his resistance, but then his breathing shallowed and he turned pale… Ruby drove us to the hospital.. They had to put him on the oxygen tank,” she tells her.

“His nebulizer wasn’t enough?”

“Not this time it wasn’t. He didn’t need medication- he needed air. Actual fresh, intoxicatingly clean, air….” her mother trailed off.

“W-where are you guys now?” Emma asked, swallowing thickly.

“We just got back to your apartment. He’s a little out of it, but he’s awake for the most part.. Poor little boy. He didn’t ask for this,” she comments.

“Did they say anything about what we could do to help?”

“Besides buying him a tank and a humidifier.. No. They almost didn’t treat him”

“Why? He’s a child in need, they can’t deny him healthcare,”

“Well, they nearly did.. His hospital bills are.. Let’s just say it’s a lot,” her mother told her and she groaned.

“How much is it?”

“It’s a four digit number that’s close to being a five digit number. I’ll leave it at that. Besides, you’ll see the bill soon enough,”

“pfff… alright then….how’d you get him in then?”

“I told them he was my grandson.. He may as well be- with everything you’ve done in less than a day, it seems inevitable to deny that,” Mal smirked and Emma could hear it in her voice.

“I wish that were the case,” her daughter responded and she breathed deeply.

“No luck, huh?”

“No. Just dead end after dead end.. Everyone’s been calling it in. They can’t find her. Dad’s suggesting we call it a night- but I know she’s out there. We have to keep looking-,”

“- I know Emma,”

“No mom, you don’t… Regina’s missing and there’s no way to find her. All those samples confirmed was that she was with Frankie, but that’s it. Frankie said she left immediately after. She _slept_ with him. She actually slept with him and you could tell he didn’t feel anything when he said it. He knew she wasn’t supposed to and he forced her, mom. He... She doesn’t know her way around certain parts of Boston and she could be anywhere! Anyone could have her! And I can’t find her to get her back to our son!” she blurts, completely missing her own parental relationship to Henry.

“Emma.. it’s going to be okay,” Mal softly whispers but now her baby is sniffling and she’s closer to tears even more than usual.

“You don’t know that, mom. I promised Henry I’d find her and bring her back. I promised him that this morning when I left, I’d find her and I can’t find her…”

“Then go out there and _look_ for her Emma. I know what your father’s wishes are that you stay in place just in case something happens, but of this is hurting you that much, go out there and go find her. Bring her home. If you want to find her, you will, no matter what, sweetheart,” she said and Emma continued to sniffle but she nodded.

“Thanks mom. I’ll talk to you later, give Henry a kiss for me, please,” she said and her mother hummed.

“I will,” Mal told her before they hung up. Emma sticks her phone into her back pocket and tries to level out her breathing but it’s almost useless as she turns to her father, eyes red. He looks at her as if he knows, as if he wants to tell her no because he knows just what she’s about to ask. But he breaks because as much as he wants to tell her to let it rest, he can’t. He physically can’t tell his one and only child, no. No matter how much he himself may have lost faith.

“Dad.. please,” is all Emma says to him and though David shakes his head at her once more, he then pulls his belt out and straps on all of his gear before he’s grabbing his badge and motioning she move. Emma takes it before he changes his mind and follows her father to their storage unit. He pulls out a few thermal blankets and a change of clothes for Regina, just in case and then they head towards his patrol car. Barely clearing the rain, they get in and buckle up. David cranks the car up before logging into the GPS that’s been fitted to the car and logging an entirely new radius that extends an extra three miles out.

“We’ll start from Frankie’s and work our way in,” he tells her and she nods quickly. David flicks his sirens on and speeds through every single corner and on every single street he can get away with before he’s within a range that’s almost equal between Frankie’s and the station.

Collins radios in that it’s once again a negative on spotting Regina. David tells him to pack it up for the night and to call it, which Collins does. He doesn’t tell the young officer that he’s still looking for Regina with his daughter because this one will be considered off the books. And he’s sure not to tell Collins that he might do something recklessly stupid just to help Emma find her because it wouldn’t be reckless and stupid in the eyes of those young cops. It’ll be something heroic- even if it’s bending the code of the law. David jerks form his own thoughts and driving long enough to then look over to see his daughter with wide eyes, frantically scanning the crowds of people on the streets. He doesn’t know how much fate dislikes his child considering how many thousands of people are on the streets with any given moment. But he’s counting on that mustard seed of favour in her situation.

So, David keeps driving because his child has hope.

He keeps driving because..well because he wants to see Regina home.

 

Safe.

 

  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

The sky is almost pitch black and the rain is still coming down heavily and angrily. She doesn’t know how long she’s been gone from Frankie’s, but she knows it’s been a good while. Even in this kind of weather, she can tell night is coming soon. The images of her time with him continuously flashes in her mind and those are the things that have her twitching with discomfort, pushing tears away though the rain is doing a fantastic job of hiding them. Those images are what’s preventing her from holding her head up to look where she’s going or figure it out for that matter. The images of her time spent with Frankie are what has Regina with arms wrapped around herself, shivering violently in the cold air. No protection from the rain or the wind. No protection from potential harm.

 

 _I stayed_ she thinks to herself. _I stayed and I helped him_ she continues, shivering at just the thought of it. _I stayed, even after he.. did what he did. I stayed, just to help him. Just because it was my job. I stayed_ she thought. But the rain was coming down and it’s with a crackling sound of anger that it rushes, pounding against the streets with enough force that the droplets break unevenly when they hit. Regina stops walking for a moment and stands within the storm. She feels them pelting her and they sting; they sting more when every drop reminds her of a spot Frankie had squeezed forcefully. Every drop reminds her that her skin, still so sensitive- and probably bruised, was used as pleasure for a man who frustrated himself for his own lacking. Who took it out on her when he wanted.. Who still, in the end- got what he wanted because she felt bad for him. Because he apologised and he asked her nicely. Frankie got what he wanted because he looked like a broken child. A puppy with his tail between his legs. Innocent.

Well, innocent was a stretch.

Regina felt bad for Frankie Fusilli, so she stayed. Even when she was counting down her days left in that place, she stayed. Even when she knew she could probably leave, she stayed because she was scared. Because she ended up caring.

She stayed and she gave that man the best, most intense orgasm of his life, and then she rolled away from him, curled into herself. She shut her eyes away from the world, hid within the void it afforded her. She heard him rise from the bed and praise her with genuine thanks as he headed into his bathroom to shower. He’d spoken to her as if she were an equal after that. Clearly happy with having something that good for the first time, Frankie was less of a prick in the moment. He was solemn, gentle again and it rubbed her nerves raw.

His issue with having a proper climax was because of his many misconceptions of sex in general. What Frankie seemed to lack in experience as well as creativity, he more than tried to make up for with speed and force. Two things that in most cases, did not give the proper end result. He didn’t need to be rough, he didn’t need to be fast, and he damn sure didn’t need to be on top and that’s what Regina had figured out. Using that to her advantage, Regina surmised that if she simply took charge, something Frankie didn’t give up willingly, he’d actually enjoy sex. But that was just a thought. A thought that turned out to be true. Frankie hated being dominated, but it proved he _needed_ to be dominated if he ever wanted it to happen. And that’s the only time Regina could leave her mind and put on a facade to cover up the fact that she’d rather blow her brains out than do it. That’s where Regina’s specialty came alive and every single trick she learned from Ruby, every single thing she could possibly manage- came to life. Using all of them to her advantage, she’d finally managed to get that upper hand. Besides, she’s nearly positive he’d have begged her til she broke and agreed just to help him out.

 

 _May as well get it over with_ was the thought that got her through it.

 

But now the rain was being what Regina thinks is something there to cleanse her, and yet- she doesn’t feel very clean. She doesn’t feel very much of anything except a numbness in her bones and a chill. But that might be hypothermia settling in. No one who looked at her could see her pain though. She didn’t look like she was in pain. She just looked like a beautiful woman who got caught in the rain and refused the use of an umbrella. Assumptions didn’t stop there. Those who looked at her, envied what she wore. Designer jeans, form fitting shirt and wedges is what Frankie had left for her to put on. It’s actually what he had told her to put on.. It apparently was a parting gift for her. Obviously he didn’t expect her to stay, so he had figured giving her a nice outfit to leave in would be enough. Minus the fact that he’d told Nino to throw away Regina’s dress from the first night and burn all other pieces of clothing she wore, simply because. _Probably to hide the evidence_ Regina thought bitterly but she continued to walk. Everyone who passed Regina had some form of protection from the rain, whether it be coats, umbrellas or even the daily newspaper, everyone was protected, everyone else except her. But, her arms stayed wrapped around her as she walked, shivering still but trudging forward. Despite the fact that she didn’t know where she was going, she still kept walking because she wanted to get home. She wanted to get somewhere she could navigate.. She wanted to get back to Henry and to Emma.

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

 

“Emma?” her father called and the blonde looked away from the window momentarily to regard him.

“Yeah dad?” she answers and at first he looks as though he wants to say something negative, but the gentle sigh he lets out indicates he will say something else.

“It’s going to be okay,” he finds himself saying after looking into her wary and sleep deprived eyes. She doesn’t respond to him directly, but by the ghost of a smile she gives, he supposes that is her response, and it has to be enough. Her eyes scan the sidewalk more and the more they drive, the darker it’s becoming, making it harder for Emma to see anything. Even when she sighs to herself, Emma finds a way to mentally remind herself that this is Regina she’s looking for and she’s not about to give up hope on finding this woman.

 

It all seems to be in vain, but then.. Something breaks. Something catches Emma’s eye..

 

Something

 

Or

 

Someone.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

It’s not ceasing, but it’s not getting any worse either.

That’s just the thing about the rain, you’re never sure whether or not it’s getting worse or better until the telltale sign of heaviness weighs within the moment, jarring you from enjoyment or awe. The drips of oblong she saw earlier are the same drips she’s seeing now, but looking up at the sky, it’s like watching hail come down gently. Regina sighs as she shuts her eyes and leans her head further back. Water pounds against her face, streams down her cheeks and across the curves of her body. Even with her arms still wrapped around herself, she feels it now. She feels somewhat- clean.. Like maybe a cloud broke through the grey matter, crying itself moisture free.

She wishes she could be like the sky. Able to break itself apart and be light again. But she can’t, because she’s human and humans don’t get those nice things in life.

 

She knows she never has.

 

_“I love you, Regina,” Daniel had whispered to her as they drove through the streets of Boston. His eyes glittered like the streetlights, alive and full of blinding brightness you couldn’t not smile at. His hair was something Regina always found her hands entangled in. Daniel had sandy blonde hair with streaks of dark brown layered in it. Stark blue eyes always caught her off guard but they also always managed to make her feel safe and secure and loved. She never had to question his loyalty to her or question whether or not he loved her. Whether or not she was worth it to him. He would always show it. With the way he smiled at her, smirked at her goofiness, spun her around when she laughed and giggled. Everything he ever did he did it for her, and he was doing it for Henry. He couldn’t believe he was going to be a father. For the first time in his life, he felt he’d made two of the best decisions, marrying Regina and starting a family with her. He wanted to do better than his parents got to and he wanted to be better for her, but he knew he needed to work and he needed to push himself to do just that. So, Daniel had taken on three jobs where Regina had balanced two. And they both balanced school at that. He’d argued with her over that because he didn’t want her to stress during her pregnancy, but Regina knew as well as he did that if she just sat back, neither of them would get anywhere. And she wasn’t going to allow that. As educated as they both were, they couldn’t get full ride scholarships._

_“I love you too,” she whispered back before leaning over the console in the car and kissing his cheek._

_Telling Daniel she was pregnant was a doozy for Regina. At first, she didn’t know how he was going to take it because she didn’t take it all that well in the beginning. And it was a normal reaction. It was more along the lines of ‘holy fuck, I’m pregnant’ not ‘Fuck, I’m pregnant’ and yeah, maybe the reaction was a little bit overdone, but she was young. He was young, they’d just tied the knot not too long ago and they both were striving to be better than what they were dealt as kids. They wanted new lives, together. And then she told him. After he’d come home from one of his shifts, hungry and exhausted. She told him. Well, she half assed an explanation to him at first and he caught on that she wanted to tell him something. He’d eaten the rest of his food before he shut off their tv and forced it out of her. And when she told him. He passed out. Eye rolling, paled skin passing out._

_Regina didn’t panic. She didn’t have reason to panic. She’d just made sure he was fine when he came to and repeated it to him._

_“Daniel.. I’m pregnant.. We’re going to be parents.” And she said that with a beaming smile as his eyes flit to her stomach, his mouth fell open and he soon began smiling at her._

_“We’re pregnant?” he had ended up asking her again and she nodded quickly. “We’re pregnant! Holy fuck- thank God! Oh my God, Regina. I love you- I love you so much!” he cheered, lifting her up off the ground, spinning her around. She’d giggled almost child-like but when he set her back down, kissed her stomach so many times and cried with joy, they’d made love once again and went to sleep._

_But now they were driving in his car and he’d gotten word he would be called soon to fill his duty for the army. She didn’t like it and neither did he, but they knew he had to do it if he wanted to secure a life for them. But it wasn’t just at the fact of him possibly being deployed. It was simply because he was the last person in her life._

_Daniel knew of her loss. He knew of how her parents had drifted away from her when she was younger. It’s not as if she was much older at that current point. She and Daniel met when they were both fourteen, not during college like Granny had assumed. Both had grown up in fairly fine neighbourhoods and went to the same high school but as far as finances were concerned, neither got a handle on that. Regina’s father was nothing more than a storage manager at the neighbourhood walmart and because Cora had barely known much past her high school days, she was just a cashier, working for a company that wouldn’t pay her more than the basic minimum wage, simply because they knew they could get away with it. Daniel’s mom was stay at home and his father was a mechanic. She wasn’t stay at home by choice though and that’s what frustrated her. Because of a amputated leg, she could only claim so much on her disability. But both of these young teens wanted better, not just for themselves, but for their parents. They had the same dreams of giving back and giving to them. But then, Henry had passed shortly after Regina got into college and it was if she knew her father wanted to ensure she had her start before he left his baby girl behind. And her mother had tried, Lord knows she had tried damn hard. She’d worked more hours and pushed Regina further. She’d pushed both Regina_ and _Daniel further. And she continued to try, even with her heart so broken and torn. She tried, but slowly, Regina saw it. She saw the light slowly drift from her mother’s eyes, the fight take her over.. The world go dark. And Cora gave up- she begged Regina to forgive her, but she gave up and followed him over. Her daughter held nothing against her. She held nothing against either of them. She couldn’t, they tried, they tried damn hard and they helped her get her foot through the door. They had given her and Daniel their blessing but, never got to see them get married. No one got to walk either of them down the aisle._

_Regina didn’t have grandparents who could or would put her up. She only had Daniel. And after a while, Daniel only had her._

_It was late and Daniel had just picked her up from their shared apartment near campus. He initially wanted to be an engineer but he was also called for active duty in the army. And that was something he had to tell her that evening._

 

_“I got the call,” she remembers hearing him say. Her fork clatters against the plate as she looks at him, wide eyed and teary._

_“Already?” she asked, her face pale and stomach now turning. He swallows and nods._

_“Yeah, I gotta leave in a week-,”_

_“-A week!” she had shouted into the restaurant and Daniel had to quickly reach for her and sit her back down._

_“Yeah.. I’m sorry, Gina,” he said to her and he could swear she huffed, but it was covered by her tears. He reached out and wiped her tears away but she slapped at his hand._

_“Why are you leaving me?” she asked him, hurt coating her words._

_“Baby, I’m not leaving. But if I don’t fill active duty, they’ll lock me up. I’m liable just like every other american to do this.. It just sucks that I got called when I did… and I want nothing more than to be here for you and little guy, but … I have to go.”_

 

 

The rain slowly eased as the sun broke through more, but Regina’s mind drifted once again.

 

_This was quite possibly the worst thing possible that could have happened with Daniel away from her. She woke up with pain in her side and bleeding and had to go to the hospital. Driving in the rain that early in the morning frustrated her. Being checked in and checked over made her irritable. The Doctor touching her unnerved her even though he was gentle and kind. The nurses in the room tried to reassure her that everything would be alright, but she had that usual emotion of anger and sarcasm of ‘Do you? Really? Do you?’ They could see it in her eyes, but held their smiles, held their positivity and held her hands through the mess._

_By the time she’d gotten to call Daniel, his panic doubled over what she actually expected and it took everything in her to calm him down. Claiming it a near miss, they tried brushing it off until Daniel was given leave to come home and be with her for Henry’s birth. He claimed it was yet again, one of the greatest days of his life. Getting to hold his screaming, red faced and obviously hungry son. Granted, he’d nearly puked and passed out watching Henry crown as Regina pushed him out, but still, he held on and he watched her cry with joy. He saw it in her eyes, the plea she’d held for so long and finally, Daniel spoke his name. “Henry Daniel Mills,” he whispered quietly to the little baby in his arms. “Henry.. Named after a man who treated me like a son. Daniel, so you’ll always have a piece of daddy.. and Mills, because it’s a name of nobility. It’s better than daddy’s last name, trust me.. Besides, you’re going to be with mommy more than me. She’ll teach you how to be a Mills better than I can teach you to be a Colter.”_

 

**You still could have taught him how to be a Colter, Dan**

 

 

The rain stops, but Regina drifts once again.

 

 _She doesn’t want to think about it. She doesn’t want to breathe a word of it. Regina doesn’t want to believe it to be true, but it is. She can’t say it out loud, though it’s being said everywhere. Though the reports, the the articles and the news say it. Everything was saying it and she refused to believe it because ‘it’s not true’. It couldn’t be true. She always thought it would be different, that Daniel would be the lucky one and make it out alive, but… but..no. This wasn’t true. He was coming home. He had to. He was a father. He was her husband. He was coming home. He just_ **_had_ ** _to._

_He had a son and a wife to get back to._

 

 

**But that wasn’t the case, huh? You really weren’t coming back, were you?**

**No, guess not** **_._ **

 

And then the sky opened itself up, rain came down, but the last bit of sun before nightfall came out and chanced a glow upon Regina’s supple skin. She let her arms fall away from her body and welcomed the rain freely this time. Regina didn’t know what came over her, but she spun around in it and let it continue to encompass her until she heard something break through..

 

She heard a voice.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

With the rain going a mile a minute for a moment and then completely slowing the next, Emma’s eyes continued to scan the entire strip. Her father had driven down this way almost twice, but it was coming up to a third when her eyes focused on something. A body shape so familiar, Emma was sure it had to be.. It had to be..to be..her.

“Dad- Dad! Stop!” Emma blurted quickly. “STOP! STOP THE CAR!” she shouted frantically at the man and he jerked the car but kept driving.

“Emma-,”

“-Dad, just stop the damn car! Please!” Emma begged and he pulled it to as much of a stop as he could. With a hand latched onto the hand of the door, Emma was ready to fling herself into the unknown, but her father had other plans. Other plans that were encased in worry.

“Emma- wait!” he called after her. “Where are you going?!”

“I see her!” Emma said strongly. “Dad- it has to be her! I see her!” Emma said to him, jittering in her seat.

“Okay- Em- okay! Calm down and breathe,” he tried but she shakes her head and pushes the door open violently, hearing a car honk harshly at her. “Emma! God damn it!” David shouted after her but she was gone, sprinting for the sidewalk and jogging in the rain. David jerked the car as much as he could off of the road and parked it before he went out after her and shouted for her, knowing she most likely wouldn’t hear him.

“Regina!” Emma started, her jogging pace slowing severely as she now has to push through the mass amount of people just to get to the woman she thinks is Regina. “Regina! TURN AROUND!” Emma yelled but it was useless, too many people. Too much rain, too much fucking noise in Boston preventing her from being able to elevate her voice loud enough to allow her message to carry through.

“Would you watch it, lady!” someone grumbled and Emma mumbled an apology but she kept her head high as she continued to shout.

“REGINA- PLEASE! TURN AROUND!” Emma hollered before she pushed herself free of the crowd and got on the asphalt. Emma began weaving her way through the traffic that thankfully had been stopped up by the traffic light. “Regina!” Emma pleaded as best she could, continuing to push through the traffic. The horns went off, people poked their heads out of their windows long enough to watch as it appeared to be like something straight out of a movie. It was as if Emma was running after the woman of her dreams, one she loved more than life itself- to stop her and tell her she loved her. It looked like a love scene ripped straight from a romance novel. Her hair dusted through the wind, but her speed stayed consistent as she kept going, not noticing the oncoming car.

“EMMA!” her father yelled and then is when Emma heard it. The screech of the tires, the swerving of the car, the panicked shouts and screams. That was when the woman finally turned around.

That was when Regina caught her eyes and Emma accepted that breath as her last.

 

 

 

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

_Accidents happen- at least, that’s what people say. Hit and runs also happen, but they’re much more deadly in some ways. But what of an accident that turned into a hit and run? What of accidents that ended up being intentional? What about just an accident that took something away from someone? What about Regina’s car accident after Daniel’s death that took her voice? What of it?_

_What of the accident that almost ended her life, taking her away from her son. He already lost his father, but his mother too? Fate would be a cruel bitch to do that to such a young child. But, it was even more cruel to his mother. It took her parents, it took the love of her life, and now it took her will to speak of it freely. The only thing Regina was left with after her accident, was enough sound to scream. All she got out of her accident, was an expensive surgery, debt, a shitty job, the loss of her scholarship and a broken heart. The only thing- rather, the only person Regina got to keep, was Henry and Henry was more than enough. He had to be, and her son easily was._

_Henry embodied Regina’s mother’s soft smile, her father’s somber eyes and Daniel’s dimpled grin the same way he adopted her naturally quiet nature, it’s just that now she had been medically classified as ‘dumb’ or ‘mute’. After the accident and the emergency surgery, there was no doubt that Regina’s vocal chords had been damaged in the accident. Her frantic screaming  prior to the surgery wasn’t frantic- it was annoyed, severe annoyance. Her mind wasn’t even on the fact that her vocals were now shattered, it was on the fact that her son better be okay, because he was in the fucking car with her. And it took a shit ton to sedate her._

_What sounded of a reed being stretched in someone’s clarinet escalated from Regina’s throat. ‘Honking harshly but screaming strongly’ is what one of the nurses had explained to another member of their staff as they had tried and failed to strap her down. Henry was fine, but because she didn’t get to see him, she was pissed beyond measure._

_She could ‘still make sounds’ the doctor explained, but speaking would never be a thing for her...at least, that’s what she was told. Given that they’d said to her she had a 50/50 chance of either losing it all completely or gaining it all back with some roughness in her tone, and the cost of the surgery should she choose to do it, hadn’t really made Regina pay it much attention anymore. Her car was completely totalled. It would not be making any sort of comeback anytime soon, but it’s not as if the mother of one would be able to replace it anyway. Her hit and run didn’t think twice about stopping to see if she was fine, to see if she was harmed, or to check and at least apologise- something! No, she wasn’t important enough, lucky enough, hurt enough for them to think that stopping might have actually put her in a different position that her current one.Her debt was going to go up just as her credit was about to plummet, not that she even had credit to begin with. Her son was now going to grow up with no father and a mute mother who didn’t have anything but her high school diploma and an unfinished associate’s degree in marketing and accounts._

_Her voice being gone didn’t phase her, but that was because whatever went wrong in her body didn’t matter. At least, to her whatever went wrong in her body didn’t matter. She had Henry to take care of. And he was the last and only thing she could keep and not fuck up. Henry was the only person left that would love her unconditionally because he came from her. Henry was her only hope of not giving up on her life and ending it herself._

_And then reality came in there some months later. Her shock from the accident hadn’t worn off until one evening when Henry was crying so loudly that she couldn’t soothe him with her singing anymore. She could hum, but it would be useless because it was his mother’s voice that always put him at ease. It was the raspiness in Regina’s tone that always grabbed Henry’s attention and lulled him into his own wonderland of dreams. That’s how it’s always been, until it was not longer possible._

 

_That’s when reality settled in._

 

 

_That’s when Regina realized her son would never hear her voice again because she couldn’t afford to have the damn surgery, and she couldn’t afford the apartment she had shared with Daniel anymore. He hadn’t built enough time during his service for the army to deem her liable to be taken cared of even though Daniel was fucking blown to bits, but okay. Because she had also learned she wasn’t listed as his next of kin, Regina could receive nothing. Daniel’s paperwork for the army had been in since he was considered a ward of the state in his younger days. He’d never gotten around to changing any of the information even after he married Regina. And even when they showed up on her doorstep to give her the news, she was denied access to his funeral. Who the hell knew why, right? No._

 

_It turned out, her deceased husband had already been married prior to and his next of kin was within the hands and legal marriage papers of a woman named Anna and their daughter, Zelena. A daughter Anna never told him about, but what was one more secret. So now, Henry had a half sibling and Regina was now a sister wife? No. Apparently, Regina and Daniel’s marriage was not recognized in the eyes of the state because he’d been married to Anna first._

_Well, that was just fucking fantastic!_

_So- Daniel wasn’t perfect, but he loved her. That much she knew if it was nothing else she did. He hadn’t told her about his previous marriage, but Regina supposes that’s just a thing you hope to never have to discuss with someone. Truth be told, it wasn’t that Daniel had cheated on her- because he hadn’t. He’d just stupidly gotten married during that period of time they’d been apart and thought Anna was going to be the ‘new’ love of his life. Never annulling that union with her left Regina out of the loop when Daniel and she got back together and they got married in Boston._

_Regina was too broken to test it all in court and she was too broke to afford anything. No one in Boston was going to take her case as a pro bono cause, not when they knew they could get so much money out of her should that case win. Even Regina knew that’s pretty much the only reason someone would take her case._

_She didn’t bother trying to figure out this Anna woman and she didn’t learn of Daniel’s other child either, so- with a bullet bitten, Regina moved on with what memories of Daniel she had left. The love he gave her, the marriage they had and the son who came from the love they made._

 

 

“EMMA!” the voiced called so spastically that it jarred Regina from every thought, every movement and every decision. _Emma_ her mind raced as she spun around swiftly, her eyes on a frantic search for the blonde and when her vision cleared, they locked onto one another.

_Not again. I can’t lose another person.. I can’t lose someone I love. Not again!_

 

Regina tried to scream for her, only able to reach helplessly in her direction as she watched the car jerk and swerve, narrowly missing the blonde standing in the middle of the intersection. They made one spin and then another and then another before it stopped completely. Time felt as though it had stopped all too abruptly as Regina’s mouth went dry with fear. The man and woman in the car had both rushed out to check Emma over, the three of them apologising profusely to one another before Emma explains quickly by looking at Regina that she just wanted to get ‘her’ home. The couple’s eyes follow Emma’s over to Regina who is stood there, frozen and unable to fathom whether or not it’s all real. Whether or not she just saw what she thinks she’s saw.

And it’s real. It is definitely real as the couple turn back and nod at Emma before watching the blonde apologise once more and make long, determined and fast strides towards the brunette who hadn’t been the only one that stopped, but was pretty obvious to be the object of Emma’s affection. Regina falls to her knees on the sidewalk, her face falling into her hands as she allowed herself to cry. When Emma cleared the first half- she jogged the rest, coming to a tender halt before the brunette. Emma’s breath was slowing, but her hair was wild even though her eyes had been somber. Regina’s mouth had opened and closed, both women unaware of the people around them, looking- waiting. It was like watching the romance scene of a movie take place. The only difference is- this actually was real. This wasn't specially formulated to look perfect- it just was. And then Emma dropped to her knees and gathered the young brunette up into her arms before she cooed gently.

“I’m here, Regina. I’m here.”

_I found her, Henry. I found momma, buddy._

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

David didn’t know how he would have explained it to Mal if Emma had lost her life because she recklessly ran after Regina and was almost flattened, but none of it clearly mattered to Emma who had Regina in her arms and was holding onto her like she was the most precious thing to her. He swallowed thickly at how much panic had settled in at just the thought of losing his one and only child. His brain practically short-circuited at the thought of Emma being gone and Regina having to watch that happen. David didn’t know how he would’ve survived if he was there to witness it as well. He didn’t know anything at that point, he was just relieved that his child was alive. More than likely shaken up, but Emma was alive and nothing and no one but Regina mattered to her at that point. He swallowed thickly before placing his free hand to his heart and levelling his own breath before nodding and looking up to the sky. The rain was slowly beginning to retreat and the sky was touching darkness, but the traffic continued to move and the people continued to stare. Some looked as though they may have been crying whilst others looked as though they envied the moment, but if David trusted his eyes the way he knew he did, he was sure he saw clapping. He was sure he saw people nearly cheering about the reunion and it warmed his heart.

David felt his feet begin to move, closing the distance between him and the two women before he crouched down, wrapping the thermal blanket around them both and pulling it tightly. He said nothing as he and his daughter looked at a now stoic Regina. Her eyes looked almost dead and her usually bronze complexion was paling. Emma didn’t feel it when she first held on to Regina, but now she could feel the violent shivering radiating from the woman. Emma held her tighter, closer as she lifted Regina up onto her feet. They managed to quickly usher Regina towards the car, Emma pulling the thermal blanket over them to protect Regina’s sopping wet frame from the last of the rain. David dashed to the driver’s side as Emma helped Regina into the car and put her arms back around the woman who willingly fell into Emma’s hold. Neither of the women were speaking, but her father supposes it’s because Emma is just happy to have Regina alive. That and because she’s so scared to lose her again that speaking just might make her disappear. With Regina’s eyes still hollow and unresponsive, the young brunette drifted off to sleep all too quickly for both David and Emma’s liking. David turned the heater on full blast and Emma was grateful as they sat there and let it work its magic, warming Regina’s still small frame. It took about ten minutes, but then Regina had slowly began to stabilize. Her shivering became almost nonexistent and David can only watch as his daughter whispers to her brunette counterpart and kiss the top of her head. He doesn’t know what it is she says to Regina, but.. He is convinced it’s better than what Regina’s heard from Frankie over the past week. He thinks this because it seems obvious. He thinks it’s because well… he wouldn’t have said it before, but he’ll say it now.

 

It’s because she loves her.

 

No, that wasn’t it.

 

_Emma’s IN love with her._

 

“Let’s get you two home,” he finally whispered before putting the car in drive. David chanced few glances in his rearview mirror and drove the squad car until he got to Emma’s new apartment, noting that Regina was still asleep. He parked it as close to the entrance as he could and left his lights on before opening the backdoor and lifting Regina out and up the stairs. Emma made her way to the elevator quickly and jammed the button until it dinged and the doors open. They got in. Emma, her dad and a sleeping Regina got in and silence had engulfed them the entire ride up to the seventh floor. When the elevator dinged once again and they got out, Emma went right up to her new apartment door and unlocked it before she shuffled aside and David brought Regina in.

“Emma?” Mal had called hesitantly, having heard the door handle jiggle and Emma answered immediately.

“Mom- Ruby! We found her! We found Regina!” Emma announced and in came one brunette and one blonde, both with two different facial expressions. Ruby looked shocked and frightened and Mal looked relieved.

“She’s-,” Ruby began and Emma quickly cut off her worry with an answer.

“-She’s fine, Ruby.. she’s just a little cold. Mom, can you turn up the heat please,” Emma asked and Mal nodded quickly before moving to the thermostat. She cranked the heat up and watched as Emma and her father disappeared into the room with Regina. David had re-emerged and seemed to be in search of something.

“Honey- honey what is it?” Mal queried and David shook his head, running his hands through his hair. Mal walked towards him slowly before she put both her hands against his cheeks. “Darling, talk to me. What’s gone wrong?”

“It-,” David began only to stop abruptly. His eyes caught Ruby’s and she caught the sign. She quickly excused herself and found Emma’s room. David watched until Mal gently turned his face back.

“David, talk to me,” Mal pushed and he huffed but nodded.

“We almost lost Emma today,” he says solemnly and Mal is rightfully confused.

“David- she’s right here, what do you mean-,”

“-No.. Emma.. she,” he huffs. “.. Emma ran right into traffic today. Recklessly and blindly right right into traffic the second she spotted Regina and almost got hit but a car. Our daughter was willing to sacrifice her life to find this.. This..”

“..woman, friend… possible love of her life,” Mal offered and he groaned slightly but nodded.

“Yes. She almost died-,”

“-because she cares for her and she loves her.. I get it,” his wife ended. “David.. She’s alive. That’s all that matters. We can yell at her later for being reckless, but as of right now, Regina is safe and Henry has his mother back…” she told him and though he wanted to argue, he knew she was right. He sighed once more and nodded yet again before he spoke.

“How was he today?”

“Besides the impromptu trip to the hospital.. He’s fine. He finally went down a little while ago, but he needs to get up for dinner,”

“Can I see him?” he asked hesitantly and she nodded before going into the other room and letting her husband step inside. David walked towards Henry slowly before he sat on the edge of the bed and brushed Henry’s hair away from his forehead. Little eyes fluttered before opening, his stark blue one coming to light before his much darker, brown one. Henry looked at David for a moment, confused as he should be, but then David smiled at him and lifted him up and onto his lap. The two year old let his head fall on David’s chest as he heard the man speak to him and kiss the top of his head.

Finally, David had to go, giving Henry one more kiss on the head and settling him into the chair in the living room, David kissed his wife goodbye, managed to hug his daughter who had finally emerged from the room and nodded at Ruby who shook her head before pulling him into an embrace. At first he was as stiff as a board, but then, his shoulders slumped and he smiled.

“I’ve gotta get back to the station and file the reports.. If Regina ever wants to..she has a case against Frankie… with the way he seemed willing to go to prison.. I guess that’s his remorse.”

That was all he said before the tiny woman had ended up caught in his peripheral.

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Ruby had walked into Emma’s room with a quiet hesitance and Emma looked up from what she was doing for the moment to catch Ruby’s eyes.

“Hey,” Ruby greeted, standing in the doorway and Emma swallowed before turning back to changing Regina out of her wet clothes and into some dry ones.

“Hey,” Emma answered, gently pulling the sleeves down. “She just needs to rest for a minute I think..she should be fine after,” Emma said, still not looking at Ruby. Ruby nodded.

“That’s good.. Emma- I’m… I’m sorry, for some of the things I’ve said and what I did and _didn’t_ do.. But in my situation and with this kind of predicament, no one takes us corner girls serious.. And yeah, I know your father, but you’ve seen the way we are with each other.. That cop I was telling you I tangoed with.. It was him. He’s always busting my chops, but for good reason. He sees something in me that I never saw in myself and I guess I upset him because he knew better than anyone in my life, I could be someone different. And I chose to stay,”

“You were protecting those women..Regina-,”

“-yeah, but… I was just comfortable with where I was too. It was..quiet, you know? Peace of mind. Space… my only real responsibility became making sure they didn’t die before their shift ended or on my watch… it sounds bad but it’s true, and then it all changed when Regina got there and I have heard stories of people losing their loved ones, but I never heard it quite that way when it came to Regina.. And because she couldn’t-can’t speak… it just.. It made it so much worse because what if something happened to her, you know? Her screams would be heard but her actual cry for help would go unnoticed. And I _had_ to stay after that.. Regina was my sole reason for staying because I finally understood how much worse it was for those women and my sole purpose after that was to protect them and help get them out of that damn place….” she trailed off and Emma finally stopped her movements to tilt her head at Ruby.

“You did a good job, Ruby,” she finally says and the woman blushes because she can see that the smoldering look is Emma’s genuine feeling. She’s telling her the truth.

“Thanks.. I just wish I could do more,” she said and Emma nodded. Emma then looked down at Regina and heard Ruby’s feet shift as she came closer.

“You did your best,” Emma whispered.

“Not good enough… But I have a chance to try harder and to be better.. I’ve learned all of that from being around and with Regina… she may not be able to speak, but- the way she looks at you is enough,” Ruby had admitted but Emma was quiet now. It seemed silence passed among them for some time until Emma shook her head.

“I didn’t know Regina couldn’t speak.. I just thought it was because she was quiet.. I mean, I asked her about it and she never really said yes or no, but she said she was a really quiet person-,”

“-she is,” Ruby interrupts gently. “Regina actually is a very quiet person, but… she and Henry had a bad accident when he was still pretty young and… I’ll just let her tell you, but she didn’t tell you for a reason,”

“I guess that’s the same reason as it related to Henry?” Emma asked knowingly only to have Ruby confirm it with a nod. She sighed. “I think I understand…” she said, trailing off and scratching at her scalp.

“How are you holding up?” Ruby then asked and Emma shook her head.

“Doesn’t matter. I’m worried about her-,”

“-yes, and I’m worried about you,”

“Don’t be. I’ll be fine. She’s home and that’s all I care about. We found her, Henry has her and she’s alive. That’s all that will ever matter to me,” Emma said strongly and Ruby let it go.

“Okay sh-,”

“-mmfmm,” came a soft interruption and both perked up and closed in on Regina.

“Regina- hey sweetie. It’s okay, you’re safe,” Ruby cooed, but they both watched as she struggled with her body and to get her eyes open.

“Regina.. It’s okay. We’re all here. Ruby’s here. I’m here… Henry’s here. It’s okay, you’re safe now. Frankie can’t hurt you,” she found herself telling the young woman and both had to wait as Regina’s knitted brows slowly eased into a soft crease. They breathed a sigh of relief and watched her for a good while more until Regina’s eyelids fluttered aggressively and her eyes opened.

“Mmm,” she moaned and was assaulted by the sight of Emma’s stark white bedroom.Her first thought was that she was in an insane asylum before the muffling in her ears cleared and she saw them.

 

 _Emma_ her mind reminded her softly. _That’s Emma and Ruby, Regina. They found you!_ It reminded her and she swallowed thickly before the tears, hot and heavy rushed from her eyes and down her cheeks. Both Emma and Ruby cooed and rubbed her cheeks and shoulder as they sat her up and engulfed her in hugs. Her mind was frazzled and she could barely understand a word they were saying, but all she knew was that she was safe.She heard them both tell her Henry was safe and he was okay. She heard them both continuously tell her they loved her. She heard them both weep with joy. Weep because she was back.

 

She was home.

And damn.. It felt good.

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

David halted when the small frame of Regina came into view and no one missed the way his eyes widened and Mal stepped closer.

“She’s awake,” he whispered in a hollow voice and Emma nodded. Mal seemed to be analyzing Regina, looking at her as if she knew her from somewhere and couldn’t place it. Regina remained where she was for about a moment more, only wearing Emma’s giant t-shirt to cover her body.  Her eyes were only settled on the group of adults for a moment until she saw her son. No one expected her to have that kind of energy, but she did as she sprinted for Henry and fell before him, pulling him in for a hug and sighing gently when her baby boy hugged her back. He didn’t give her that confused look when she held him away from her to see his eyes, his face, his hands and feet.. His beautiful smile. Instead, what Regina got was the most calming eyes from her little boy as his smile turned toothy and he leaned over to place a dribble ridden kiss on her face.

Regina broke down in tears and didn’t care who saw her. Everyone else just watched, all of them in their own mode of expression.

“She’s...awake?” David had said but it was questioning as well. Ruby nodded.

“She’s awake.. She’s safe David, thank you for bringing her back,” the woman told him as they all still stared at the way Regina was with her son. David shook his head.

“I..you..” he huffed. “I’m just glad she’s okay,” he settled for saying before he finally gave Regina one last look who was looking at him with a gratefulness he hasn’t seen before. “I’m glad you’re okay,” he finally said to her and she nodded slightly before signing ‘thank you’ to him. David signed back, ‘you’re welcome’ before he paused. David turned to Mal and looked at her. “I’ll see you at home,” he tells her and she nods before kissing her husband on the lips.

“I love you, David Nolan,”

“I love you too, Mal,” he whispered before finally leaving. Mal watched the door and Emma watched the door as Ruby bent down to Regina and whispered something to her before standing. Emma could tell just by the way Ruby was making her way around the place that she was about to leave too. That was a normal thing for Ruby to do, but Emma wasn’t aware of that. She also wasn’t aware that Ruby was leaving because.. This is where her position in Regina’s life ends and she knows that. There is no more of her and Regina screwing around and kissing one another and her being jealous over the younger woman. There’s no more of that and Ruby is accepting that as she looks around the condo and exhales deeply.

“I’m really glad you’re okay, Regina,” she whispers after picking up her jacket and grabbing her cell phone. Regina nodded, that nod and look she had always given Ruby this time was one full of even more understanding. It was a silent conversation of ‘This is where I leave you’ and she could feel it. That day for her to stop being the way she was with Regina came sooner than she thought, but, Ruby would abide by it.

Mal and Emma shared a look as Ruby and Regina exchanged silent conversation. And then Ruby was patting Emma’s shoulder and telling everyone good night.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Mal shifted away from the rest of the group to head into the kitchen and begin on dinner. Emma hesitated where she stood before going over to Regina who had a death grip on her son. With gentleness, she rested a hand to Regina’s shoulder and saw the way the woman looked up at her. It was probably hesitance, or fear- or something, but.. Emma could see something different in Regina’s eyes.

“C-can we talk?” she asks and at first Regina doesn’t do anything, but about a moment passes, and then she nods. “Good,” Emma whispered and smiled. “Hey mom, do you think you can watch Henry for a minute, I wanna talk to Regina about something,” Emma then said and Mal nodded before walking over and hoisting the little boy up and into her arms. Henry immediately laid his head on her shoulder and Regina watched as Mal smiled.

“Sure thing, sweetheart. Besides- this little man is supposed to help me cook dinner, aren’t you Henry?” Mal questioned the little boy and he nodded. Regina was genuinely surprised because Henry was much like her. Shy, reserved. Hesitant of everything and everyone. But, so far, Regina has seen nothing but comfort come from her son and that makes her happy.She had wondered how he would be with the people in Emma’s life, but she had been more worried about how he would be with Emma in general and to now know that Henry is comfortable with her mother lets her know he’s more than likely been comfortable with Emma...and he is.

Emma stands up and rubs the top of his head before kissing his cheek smiling when he grins and buries his face in Mal’s chest.

“You feelin’ better buddy?” the blonde questions him and he nods. Emma kisses him again. “Good.. did you see your new bed?” she asked him and he nodded again. “Do you like your new bed?” another nod. “Awesome.. Guess what.. After we get mommy settled in, we can show her your cool new bed. How’s that sound?” she asks and he grins with an eager nod. “Awesome! Okay bud ,we’ll be right back,” she tells him and Mal looks on at her daughter and Regina for a moment before she speaks.

“Come along my little apprentice. We’re making spaghetti.”

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

After Regina watched Mal take Henry into the kitchen, her eyes caught Emma’s who had held out her hand for the brunette to take. Regina slipped her hand into Emma’s and let the blonde guide her towards Henry’s room. Regina paused as they got to the door and took in the room. Because she hadn’t looked around before, looking around now, she could see that this place was just recently bought and if her memory served her right, Emma had said she was living in the hotel, but this was clearly an apartment.. An apartment for which Emma had moved all of her things as well as Regina and Henry’s, things into it. Even though the place was mostly white, she could see the new bed Emma had got for Henry. Her eyes took in the design and the beautiful and warm tone of it. It was a dark oak that looked like it had been popped straight out of a mould. It was clean, it was crisp in all the right ways and it had been buffed to prevent sharp corners and edges should Henry decide to be adventurous. But what made Regina smile internally was how the bed was deep and the sides came up. It was like he had a pod for a bed and it was beautifully set with a dark brown and royal blue set.

“Sorry if I overstepped, but the bed that came in this room wasn’t safe enough for him and you didn’t have a crib so… I let him pick and he chose that, “Emma muttered shyly as she turned to see the way Regina had been looking at the bed. Regina blinked a few times before shaking her head and smiling. Emma didn’t have to watch her form the words to know she was thankful, so- she nodded. “Is that okay? I mean.. With everything that’s been happening and then finding out about him and how bad things were for you guys… I just- I didn’t… I didn’t wanna leave him there and I didn’t want you guys living there anymore. I wanted to make sure he was safe and that when you got back you were safe, but so many things were wrong and-,” a hand to her chest stops her abruptly and Emma swallows hard. Emma looks up through her lashes at Regina and sees the woman’s almost stricken face. Regina looks like she wants to say so many things but just can’t and Emma knows this. She watches as the brunette walks away from her, arms wrapped around her midsection as her feet carry her around the room aimlessly. Emma watches Regina before she too moves, but it isn’t towards the brunette just yet. Emma looks around the room because she can swear she had a notepad somewhere in there with a pen or a pencil.

It was for Henry to scribble and draw with, but the point was it was- or should have been in the room.

She finds it eventually and sets it before Regina, shrugging helplessly as she smiles at the woman, hoping to convey to her that she wants her to communicate. Regina’s lips twitch before she takes the items and settles on the bed. She falls back slightly because of the higher sides and scowls at a smirking Emma. The blonde follows suit, careful not to be it’s next victim before she settles.

The only sound that passes between them is from Regina’s writing. The gentle scratch of the pencil against the notepad eases the tension Emma didn’t even notice she had felt but was becoming increasingly aware of.

But, she doesn’t have much longer to think of it. Truth be told, she didn’t have long to think of it at all because Regina hadn’t written much. It was two words. Just two words and those two words would be the words that jump started the whole conversation.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

 

 _I’m mute_ is what it said and as Emma read it over and over and over again, seeing it written was different than hearing it from Ruby. In essence, she shouldn’t be shocked, but the confirmation from Regina changed that. Though she lets out an uneasy laugh and says,

“Yeah, Ruby kind of told me that already,” Regina can still see it, and still hear it in Emma’s voice, the burning question of why? _Why didn’t YOU tell me this sooner?_ and for what it was worth, exactly what Ruby had ended up telling Emma is exactly what Regina writes after taking the notepad back

 _I didn’t want you to pity me because of it.. The accident I was in when Henry was still just learning to walk was right after I lost someone very special to me_.

“Daniel,” Emma said and Regina nodded. “But, you know I wouldn’t have done that to you right? Made you feel inept or something like that?” Emma asked because even she was unsure at that point. Regina swallowed and nodded before scribbling.

 _I know.. But, I was still afraid_ it said and Emma immediately spoke.

“Of me?” she asked but Regina shook her head, writing once again.

 _Of myself and of losing you because I would have pushed you away. I didn’t think anyone would want to be friends with someone like me because of all the things that went wrong in my life… I’m sure by now you know all there is to know about what happened to me and it scares me to know that even with all of this, you would stay around because, why_ **_would_ ** _you?_ It had asked and the dark underlines beneath the word would, let Emma know this was even more serious.

“Hey, listen. I know.. I guess some things, but I don’t know everything. When I came back two days ago and I was calling you and Ruby and didn’t get an answer from either of you, I knew I had to look for you. I counted down the days to come back here.. I actually told them to mail me the contract to sign off on it because I wanted to be here when you got back,” Emma had started and by the fear crossing Regina’s face, she grinned.

“It’s okay, I swear. I mean, my boss yelled at me a little but he told me to deal with it.. I’m drifting, the point is.. When I got back the first place I went was BAR and I found Kelsey. I was losing my mind because I was scared something really bad had happened,” she told her only to have Regina immediately place a hand to her shoulder. Emma smiled sadly before removing it and holding it within hers. “It’s okay.. It got better after Kelsey gave me a cigarette and then gave me your address. I guess she could just see it in my eyes I wanted to find you,” Emma blushed but could see Regina’s smirk out the corner of her eyes. And then she felt it. The soft kiss against her cheek before Regina used the pad of her thumb and brushed it away. Emma looked at her before admitting. “I really missed that.. I missed you.”

And now Regina was the one blushing, but she let Emma continue.

“Yeah.. so, when I got your address because apparently Ruby’s wasn’t her real address-,” Emma said, sensing the eye roll from Regina because the brunette was the only other person besides Kelsey who knew that to be true. “- I found your place. Imagine my surprise when it was right behind the place you had told me to drop you off at,” Emma continued, trying to joke, but neither of them laughed. “I walked through, found your apartment number, nearly shit myself because I’m pretty sure it was a raccoon that ran across my foot and not a cat, went upstairs and was met by a grumpy old lady… Granny? I think her name was. I dunno. I never asked directly,” she trailed but saw Regina’s penmanship come to life against the page.

 _Lucas.. Her last name is Lucas.. No relation to Ruby, though_ it said and Emma smirked.

“Good to know.. I also learned Ruby’s name isn’t Ruby but Rulan,” Emma added and now Regina’s eyebrows went up in surprise. “Ohhh yeah, see- she and my dad have some sort of history and they both look like they despise each other, but then she said why.. It’s because my dad wanted better for her and knew she could be better, but Ruby said she stayed because of you. She didn’t have much reason before because it was just comfort and she didn’t have to be responsible for anything past not letting them die, but… she said she stayed specifically for you after hearing about and learning all the things from your past… like I said, I know some things, but I still wanna hear everything from you, it’s just, after finding out about Henry and Daniel and your parents and how much they were charging you for rent over nothing much, I knew I had to do something. I _wanted_ to do something and I just hope that in me doing that something, you’ll stay for a while until you’re back on your feet…” the blonde trailed off. Regina swallowed and pulled away slightly before she looked down at the notepad. She then looked back up at Emma before smiling, then writing on her notepad. When she passed it to the blonde, it read-

 

 _What would you like to know_ and Emma could only smile as she responded with,

“Everything you want to tell me.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“Good job Henry,” Mal praised as she and the little boy continued to make spaghetti. Letting Henry stick his hand in the seasoning to help flavour the food was a joy to watch because he wasn’t aggressive with it. He was very careful, very controlled and very aware. Henry had been watching Mal in awe the entire time he was sat on the countertop. He watched her cut onions and garlic amongst other things and he had scrunched up his face at the ground beef until she let him squish it with his little hands. But, other than that, he was on his best behaviour, which seemed to be a thing he was always on- all the time. The little boy grinned as he continued to watch Mal stir the pot of food and lift the spoon to let him taste. “What do you think?” she asked him and he shook his head, grinning. “You think it needs something extra too, don’t you..hmmm, what do we need?” she asked aloud only to see him point at the cayenne pepper- like he knew what it was. Mal looked impressed. “Oh, so spicy food is your thing?” she asked him, but his face of confusion came into play as he tilted his head and his eyes widened. Mal laughed before kissing his cheek. “Nevermind.. We’ll put a little bit in, but not too much because you want to enjoy the food, don’t you?” she asked knowing his nod wasn’t from understanding but simply because she had asked him a question.

With Henry and food to distract her, Mal didn’t hear when Emma came into the kitchen.

“You in here sharing your secrets with this little guy already,” Emma commented and her mother turned around with a scowl on her face. She couldn’t keep it straight and began to grin.

“It’s not my fault, Emma. Have you seen how adorable he is,” Mal cooed and Emma grinned.

“Yes I have- which is why-,” she says before taking Henry from her mother and tossing him up in the air. He giggles as she holds him close and smothers him with kisses. “-he and I are going to be partners in crime.” Mal hummed.

Emma had learned from Regina that Henry had selective mutism. Simply put, because of fear and anxiety and possibly a lack of comfort, Henry didn’t speak, it’s not that he couldn’t. He just wouldn’t. But, in the case of Henry, it was just because he was shy. He was used to adults speaking to him not necessarily prompting him to speak, but with his mother, because he didn’t know she actually couldn’t speak, he had just adopted her habit. He became as quiet as Regina was forced to be. Emma then set him down and told him to go and hang with his mom for a minute and he ran as fast as his little legs could carry him to go see her as Emma continued to help her mother.

“Something’s on your mind, mom… what is it?” Emma queried. Mal stopped moving and sighed.

“It’s nothing, I guess I’m just relieved that Regina is alright and that you found her..”

“..buuut?” Emma prompted.

“But, I can’t help but think I know her from somewhere, somehow,” she commented and Emma nodded.

“Maybe she was at a coffee shop or something. Or maybe you saw her in the store sometime back,” Emma posed and Mal acknowledged it with a lift of her brows.

“Maybe,” she finally said before shrugging. “Help me finish this,” she then told her daughter and Emma nodded before they spent some time finishing dinner up.

 

It was nearing ten when Emma and Mal had finally finished dinner and were cleaning up the mess so that they could eat. Henry had come out with his thumb in his mouth and Emma saw him, holding onto what looked to be a blanket.. Her blanket at that.

“Heyyyy buddy. What’s the matter?” Emma asked as she made her way towards him and knelt before him. Henry turned at pointed to the room before turning back to Emma. She stroked his cheek. “Is it momma?” she asked and he nodded. “What’s going on, bud? Is momma sleeping?” she asked him and he nodded again. Emma smiled. Emma then picked Henry up and went towards the bedroom to check in on Regina. Sure enough, she was sleeping, curled into the very comfortable and plush bed. Even though she and Regina hadn’t talked about what happened during her time with Frankie, Regina had explained in depth how she lost her parents, how she lost Daniel and how her life only fell apart the more she tried to fix it but she continued to fight because she had a baby she wanted to give everything she could, to. Emma gently shut the door before she took Henry back into the living room where her mother had brought food out for him. Her mother had also gotten herself a plate and was sat watching one of the cartoon Henry had randomly taken a liking to. Emma sat the little boy down in her lap and fed him, ensuring she was careful his food was in bite sized pieces. She’d also quickly ordered a few humidifiers and searched online for the oxygen tank. Based on what her mother told her, she also needed to deal with Henry’s medical bills to ensure he wasn’t denied care.

Henry’s coughing brought her from her trance and instinctively, Emma swat his back with just enough force that whatever was in his throat, came out. She had then rubbed soothing circles on his back and watched him finish his food, clearly not deterred by his previous dilemma. Mal just watched, holding back every comment she never thought she’d want to make. All positive and emotional, but Emma could feel it. Sense it and when she had locked eyes with her mother, she smiled at her.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

A good while later and it was time for Mal to leave. After having packed up a tupperware container with food for David and giving Henry so many kisses, Mal finally left. Emma gave Henry a bath and wrapped him up before she called her boss.

 

“Emma,” he breathed in relief.

“Hey, mister J… we found her. She’s home and she’s safe, she’s just asleep,” Emma told him and the sigh he let out was relieved. Emma didn’t have to give him details about any of the things she did or any of the situations she was in. She never offered and he never badgered because he respected her right to privacy. He understood why she didn’t divulge most things and had urged her to keep that part of herself going. So, Emma giving him those short but to the point words was more than enough explanation that she went through something to get there. Besides that, the tired sound in Emma’s voice is almost always a dead giveaway. Mister Jones hummed lightly.

“That’s good. I bet that was a surprise,”

“Ohhhh, that wasn’t the only surprise I came back to,” she told him and he sounded confused.

“What do you mean?”

“Regina… has a son. A two year old with the most beautiful eyes I’ve ever seen… that was the surprise I came back to,” she said and Mister Jones made a weird noise,

“Oh,” is what he settled for and she laughed.

“Same thing I thought,”

“So.. is that going to be a determining factor in your relationship with her?” he asked and she knew what he was hinting at.

“Not in the slightest,” Emma told him. “If anything, it just makes me happier knowing that there was someone she could come home to even if it wasn’t me, you know?”

“.. I do,” he hummed. “And I also took your advice. I asked her out. She said yes, so we are going to have dinner very soon,”

“Why don’t you call her by her name? You know, the one she was given?”

“Because, Anna is directly beside me and I do not wish to be interrogated by my twelve year old just yet…”

“But Anna loves Sandra. Have you seen how much she just sticks to her and how many times Anna comes in just to see her? To get help when I’m not available? Come on, Mister J- she loves her. Just tell her,”

“What if it doesn’t work out?”

“Then it’s not meant to work out. But you have to try, you know that better than anyone.” He sighed.

“Alright, fine. I’ll tell her- later….I’m happy you found her, Emma,” her boss had said and she smiles.

“I am too,”

“So, I take it you won’t need that hotel room anymore?”

“Why, you gonna use it for your nightcaps with Sandra?” Emma teased and he groaned.

“No,” he said but it was faulty. Emam just smirked.

“No, Mister J. I don’t need it anymore. It’s completely up for grabs besides… I have someone to come back home to now,” she added and could feel him smirking.

“Good. Has the contract arrived yet?”

“No, but it should be here either tomorrow or the day after,” she manages to explain before something catches in her peripheral vision. Emma’s head snaps to the side and there before her stands Regina, rubbing sleep from her eyes and yawning like a small child. “Uhhh, Mister J. I gotta call you like tomorrow or something,”

“She awake?”

“Does drowsiness count?” the blonde asked and he snorted.

“Barely.. Go Emma. If she’s awake it’s best to be with her,”

“Thanks Mister Jones,”

“No need.. And I will take your advice and talk to Anna. Wish me luck,”

“Luck,” she said before they both shared a laugh and hung up from one another. Emma then put her phone beside her and shifted a now sleeping Henry in her hold. “Hey,” she whispered to Regina who was still trying to get the sleep from her eyes. Regina stopped rubbing them for a moment and looked at Emma, blushing lightly. The blonde before her patted the spot beside her and Regina obliged by sitting next to her. Emma;s arm fell around Regina’s shoulders and pulled her close. “Did you sleep okay?” she asked and felt Regina nod against her chest before rubbing the top of Henry’s head. “That’s good...you hungry?” she then questioned and Regina nodded again. “I had a feeling you might be. My mom and our little one here made spaghetti. I’d like to think they did a pretty bang up job,” she complimented and felt Regina let out a soft breath next to her. More than likely it was a laugh but Emma didn’t bother finding out.

 

They sat there for a little bit, Emma’s fingers idly running through Regina’s silken locks and holding Henry close. Finally she spoke.

“Hey, how about you got set him down in the room and I’ll get you something to eat?” she had asked and Regina could only nod tiredly again. Emma smiled before passing Henry off and reheating the last of the spaghetti for Regina. When she brought it over she joked that, “It’s not five star but it’s homemade and that has to count for something,” which got a smile out of the brunette. Regina ate in silence as Emma cleaned up a little more and checked in on a sleeping Henry. Regina had placed him in his new bed and so far so good. He wasn’t crying or whimpering and that was a good thing. Emma turned the tv on and mindlessly flicked through the channels before her phone rang once more and she looked at it.

 

 _Unknown number_. That was strange, but she answered it anyway.

“Hello?”

“Ummm.. hey,” the voice said and Emma sighed; Regina paused her eating to watch Emma’s expression.

“What do you want?” she asked curtly and Ciara cleared her throat.

“Nothing, I just wanted to apologize,” the woman answered and Emma grunted.

“I don’t want your apology, Ciara,” Emma said before sensing Regina tense beside her. She looked over apologetically at the woman who stood abruptly and made her way into the kitchen. _Shit_ , Emma thought. Regina turned on the tap and washed up her bowl before setting it aside to dry and disappearing into Henry’s room. Emma watched every motion of her movements, ignoring Ciara’s words until the woman had mentioned something about Tuna proposing to her. “Huh?” Emma said randomly.

“I said, Taylor proposed,”

“Okay.. good for you,” Emma told her, still looking for Regina’s return. It took some time but When Regina returned, she had her notepad and pen in hand. She scribbled something out and placed it before Emma.

 _Is everything okay?_ It had asked her and Emma rolled her eyes. She covered the phone and relayed everything to Regina, still ignoring Ciara’s word. Regina shook her head before she watched as Emma and Ciara exchanged words, Emma now having her on speaker phone.

“I really don’t care for an apology Ciara. It’s worthless to me. You can keep it the same way you can keep those mountains of bills piling up… and I’m not attending your wedding either. You’re my ex and you’re marrying the woman you cheated on me with.. Yeah, no thanks,” Emma snorts.

“Why won’t you just take my apology? I’m trying to do something right here,” Ciara groaned and Emma sighed but Regina picked up her notepad and scribbled once again.

 

_Tell her you’re dating someone and they wouldn’t be comfortable with it_

“Because, My girlfriend wouldn’t be happy about it. That’s why,” Emma lied easily, sharing hesitant smiles with Regina.

“You’re dating?!”

“Yes, does that surprise you?” Emma said bluntly and Ciara hesitated.

“I mean.. Yeah, kind of,”

“Well, stay surprised.. Like I said, I don’t want your apology or your wedding invitation,” she repeats.

“Fine… would you at least tell me who you’re dating?”

“No, it’s none of your business,” Emma relayed quickly and more than annoyed.

“Then I’m led to believe she doesn’t exist and you can come to the wedding, you’re just choosing to be a coward,” Ciara challenged and Emma huffed. Regina place a hand to her shoulder and picked up her pen, writing something out and sliding it into Emma’s view.

 _Just tell her you’re dating me_ is what it said but Emma looked at Regina like she grew a third head before she picked the pen up and scribbled ‘no’. SHe quickly muted the phone before saying.

“No, I’m not going to tell her that and get you involved in my mess. She’s just a pain in the ass,” Emma admitted but Regina huffed and tapped the notepad with urgency. Emma huffed and unmuted the phone.

“I’m waiting,” Ciara taunted and Emma groaned.

“Her name is Regina,” the blonde said, sharing a look with her brunette counterpart. “I’m dating a woman named Regina. Younger than me and damn sure younger than you. Beautiful and supportive and she makes my heart skip a heat every time I see her,” Emma said, not realizing she was admitting all the truths she genuinely felt about the woman. “I’m with Regina and she has a two year old who is like my son and I love them both…. I’d be lucky if I ever get to start a proper family with her,” Emma continued and now Regina was looking at her as if she saw the truth behind those words. Emma quickly looked away before she sighed yet again. “If that’s all.. I need to go. Regina and I need to get some rest and you’re disturbing that,” Emma told her.

“Fine.. congratulations I guess,”

“Yeah.. just do me a favour and lose my number, Ciara,” Emma told her coldly.

“Oh.. I will,” she snapped. “I don’t see how you could claim you were going to propose to me when you have an instant family with her.. Did she know that? HUh- that you were going to propose to me?” Ciara asked, grasping at straws and Emma snorts.

“Unlike the relationship I had with you, we don’t lie to each other. So yes, Regina knew. She knew from the first day. That’s the difference between you and her. I actually trusted her. I actually love her the way I thought I loved you and realized I didn’t. So thanks for fucking up and good luck starting your marriage out on a lie because I’m pretty positive you didn’t tell dear old Taylor about your actual relationship with me. Like I said, do me a favour and lose my number,” Emma said before hanging it up. She sighed gently only to feel Regina’s hand to her thigh and then she had cracked one eye open and looked at the woman. Regina was smiling at her and she couldn’t help but smile back. Emma shifted slightly before reaching for the phone and saying,

“I was serious about sleeping,” only to see Regina grin and hit her shoulder. “What? I’m tired. It’s been a long couple of days and I just want to sleep… I’m just happy we found you, I’m happy you’re home and I’m happy you’re safe- back with Henry. I missed you, Ruby missed you and I’m sure he missed you, but it’s back to reality for me tomorrow and I need to go to bed now if I want to survive. Ciara’s just a fucking nut job for no reason and I’m tired of dealing with her antics. This is the same thing I went through right after we broke up… I need a break from crazy women,” she had complained slightly only to have Regina nod. “Good, I’m glad you understand my dilemma. But I am so sleepy right now. Thankfully, the bed’s big enough, but I wanna shower first. If those aren’t comfortable, boxes of our stuff is just sitting in the closet, rummage around and see what you can find. If you wanna shower, you can take the master bath or the one adjoined to Henry’s. Whichever suits you,” Emma told her and she nodded again. Emma stood up and stretched out her hand for Regina to take before she pulled her up and guided her into the room. She got Regina two towels and opened her arm, indicating that the woman take her pick. Regina just chose the master because it was closer and Emma smiled before she grabbed her toothbrush, gave Regina the new one from under the cupboard and passed her the body wash she’d bought a while back. Emma left her to it so that she could quickly shower and sleep, but Regina had opted to take her time, slowly washing away the feel of rain as well as the feel of Frankie. She thinks long and hard and supposes that it’s because of the shock she hasn’t broken down in tears over what he did to her. Or maybe it was because she no longer felt the pain of it. Who knew. But, Regina had enjoyed her shower immensely. She felt revitalized with having the jets pulse, beating against her soft skin, soothing it and helping to ease the tension out of her muscles as she stood there and let the droplets cascade over her. She gently scrubbed her face and washed her hair as the moments of the day replayed in her mind.

 

 _Nothing_.

Absolutely nothing had triggered her anxiety or her fear. Nothing made her feel weak and hopeless and she knew it wasn’t because of herself.

Maybe it was because there were so many people who were present when she came back that it somehow blocked all of that.

Or maybe it was because Emma had enlisted the entire damn department to come find her.

Or it could have just been the way everyone welcomed her back with open arms and kept the most important person to her safe in her absence.

“Or maybe it was just simply because they were there. Emma, Ruby, and Emma’s parents along with her baby boy. Maybe it was because for a split second it felt like she had a family all in one place, alive, well and not far from her. Dead. Blown to bits. Dying from a broken heart.

Maybe it was because love had existed where they were.

Or maybe it was because Emma picked up their lives and moved it in with hers.

 

Whatever it was, it was holding Regina’s cracks together and making her appear almost seamless. So, she washed her body, not feeling the intrusion of Frankie. Not feeling useless, bound, broken. She didn’t feel like her pride was gone or anything like that. Regina felt nothing towards the man. No anger, no pity. Nothing. And it’s probably because she’s felt that more than enough times, but who knows? No one. No one knew and it didn’t matter much more whether someone knew or not, because she couldn’t feel the pain Frankie and Lolo- Bruno and Nino had inflicted on her.

 

By the time she was done in the bathroom and had emerged with a towel wrapped around her, Emma was pulling the covers up to Henry’s chin and tousling her hair with a towel. She was clad in a pair of boxer briefs and a tank top, her bulge tucked neatly into a ball and not just dangling around. Swallowing thickly, Regina cleared her throat and Emma looked up. She smiled as she spoke.

“Hey, good shower?” she asked and Regina nodded sleepily. “That’s good. Clothes are in the closet right there,” Emma reminds her and she nods again before disappearing and finding that same oversized t-shirt of Emma’s she’d worn before. She’d also had on some underwear and a pair of socks because for some reason, it was cold in that damn condo. Regina looked down at the bed at her sleeping son before she was interrupted by Emma’s comment.

“I didn’t want him to be alone and his room’s pretty far from ours so I figured he could sleep in here. Besides, I hadn’t bought him a nightlight,” she rambled and Regina’s eyebrows raising made her stop before she saw the woman’s face drift into a soft smile. Regina just climbed into the bed and laid down, waiting for Emma to do the same. When the blonde caught the hint and followed suit, Regina turned over to look at her, eyes glowing with beauty as she mouth the words, thank you to Emma. Emma blushed before shaking her head and saying.

“It was nothing. He needs it,”  but then Regina shakes her head, a soft smile on her face once more as she leans over Henry and places a gentle kiss to Emma’s lips. Emerald eyes fluttered shut as Emma’s heart thudded one drastic pump and felt like it had stopped. Her ears were ringing and her mind was spinning. The kiss was dizzying in the best way possible as Regina’s slender but soft fingers cupped her left cheek and held her there for a moment until she pulled back, a slighty pop sound going off between them as they parted. Emma hadn’t opened her eyes right away, savouring in it all before smiling like the happy idiot she claims to be and usually is. She watches as Regina tilts her head, brown orbs darker than before, eyes dilated as Regina’s lips curl and she mouths those words yet again.

 

_Thank you_

 

This time, Emma caught it. She understood what it had meant. What Regina was trying to convey and it all made her feel so much better. Regina wasn’t just thanking her. She wanted Emma to know she was grateful that the woman had found her. Had kept her son safe, had spent so much time to locate her and had brought her home. And now she was thanking Emma for giving them a home to live in. A place to be. Somewhere better than what they had.. All without trying to get anything out of her in return.

All she could do was smile back at the woman before saying,

“Forever and always.”

They shut their lights out, both still able to see the other’s smile and before they knew it, they’d both fallen asleep, hands over Henry, fingers intertwined.


	9. I'm on a break

Guys, yes I know i have not updated, but that is for good reason. I have just started work again and it is hectic as all hell, but i will be trying to get you some content after it all levels out or in my spare time. as always, thank you for reading, waiting, commenting and laughing along with me on this journey, stay safe.

 

Hugs and Love,

Megan


	10. Chapter 10

4 Months and the next day

 

It was slowly easing towards the next morning since Emma had found Regina and brought her home, and Emma couldn’t be more happy about it all. The morning after Regina was back, Emma had gotten up and just sat in the bed with her back pressed against the headboard, looking at mother and son sleep peacefully. Henry had gotten warm somewhere in the night and ended up with a leg on Emma’s shoulder, but for the most part, he slept pretty good. Regina was like a brick. She did not move in her sleep. Her long chestnut hair always seemed to cover her face as well, but Emma supposes that’s just a thing that happens when the woman doesn’t have bangs and sleeps like the dead. She sighs gently to herself as she attempts to get some more rest in but then her alarm is going off and she’s slapping it in annoyance. She picks up her phone and unlocks it, noting the updated pregnancy photo from Eric about Ariel’s stomach.

_ It’s so biiiiig! _ Her text read and she typed it in such a way that he would have to read it as a squeal and nothing more than that. Eric’s text was immediate.

**I know right! She’s starting to feel it now though.**

_ I can only imagine. How are you handling it though? _

**As fine as fine is. Hey, I’ve gotta go. She’s awake and I wouldn’t want her ripping my nuts off before the baby’s here. I’ll call you later or something. Stay safe, Em.**

_ You too, E. _

Emma chanced a glance down at the pair in her bed once more and sighed before she pulled herself away from the bed and stretched. She felt different. Calmer, lighter… happier as she made her way to her bedroom window that went from ceiling to floor. That coupled with the sliding door and balcony had Emma’s eyes glowing with the morning sun. She pressed her hand     against the glass window and inhaled deeply. The morning was shaping up to being something very calm and quiet, well… that’s before she has to leave for work. She heard something rustling and turned her head to see that it was Henry stirring awake. Emma walked away from the window and over to the little boy, getting there just in time as he sits up and rubs at his eyes. 

“Hey, buddy. You okay?” she asks him and he nods before he huffs, more than likely because he slept too much. Henry crawls over to Emma and stands up in the bed on wobbly limbs before he falls into her arms. Emma catches hold of him and lifts him up before she’s heading back over to the sliding door of her room. She pushes the door open, steps onto the balcony and smirks when the morning wind hits his face and he scrunches up in response. Emma rubs Henry’s back as she talks to him, getting many head nods in return. By the time his stomach is grumbling, she takes him back inside and gives him a bath in his bathroom. With a mountain of bubbles at the ready and a few bath items in hand, Emma gently sets Henry in the water and begins to bathe him. He’s very calm. Very at ease and clearly fine with whatever it is she’s doing. He grins cheekily when Emma pours water over his curly hair and brushes it out of his face before she’s squirting shampoo into his locks and massaging his little scalp. She pulls it up into a mohawk and smiles when she sees him grinning.

“See, the reason I bought this place is because it’s got everything I need for a wife and a child, you know?” she asks him but the quizzical look he gives her has her pausing to smile at him, letting out a soft breath. “You don’t even understand what I’m saying, do you?” she asks and he just smiles at her yet again. Emma takes it as it is and continues to bathe him, only wincing slightly when she thought she got shampoo in his eyes, but Henry just blinks it away and waits.

She rinsed him off and pulled the plug before wrapping him up in one of the new towels. This particular towel was a duck hooded towel. Something she remembers having as a child as well. She’d have to thank her mother for that later seeing that Mal was the one who went out after the apartment was bought, to stock it with things she knew Emma would need..and the things Henry would clearly like more than anything else. Emma sets Henry on the top of the counter and goes through the motions of brushing his teeth before she lets him run around with his towel still firmly planted on top of his head. As she’s cleaning up and thinking about how much it all feels so right with having both Regina and Henry there with her- her phone goes off once more, but this time it’s a call from her mother. Emma answers it but puts it on speaker as she continues to clean.

“Hey mom, what’s up?” she asks and Mal can hear it in Emma’s voice, the relief- the joy. The peace of mind.

“Hi, sweetheart. How are things going?”

“Going good. Regina’s still asleep and I just gave Henry a bath. He’s currently running around in that duck towel you bought for him- but I need to feed him so we’ll see how long it takes him to slow it down and eat,” she grins and hears her mother laugh gently.

“Good.. listen, your father and I were wondering if we could see you some time today to talk about everything that’s happened,” Mal told her and immediately heard Emma’s tone shift. The blonde finishes off the last of cleaning Henry’s bathroom and leaves with the phone in her hand and a look of sadness in her eyes.

“Not yet, mom. I’m still.. reeling from it all.. But I’ll call you and dad and let you guys know when I can. I just.. Don’t wanna- at least, not right now, you know?” she asks, scratching the back of her head.

“I know, sweetie.. And that’s perfectly fine-,” is all Mal gets in before Emma hears something off and is quickly rushing to find Henry and figure out what the hell happened and if he’s okay.

“Oh thank God!” she said frantically as she scooped him up and held him close.

“Emma?” her mother calls and she sighs heavily. “Is everything alright? Is it Henry? Is he okay?”

He is. 

“Yeah mom. He’s fine… But the boxes he got around to touching, are not.” Her head tilts as she looks on at the box of toys he’s managed to turn over and it clicks in her head. Emma quickly dumps the rest of the toys out before she puts the box in the corner and gets on the floor with Henry. She’s positive she should put his underwear on him, but he’s happy being naked for the moment.

“What was that then?”

“Nothing really.. This little guy just managed to find his toys that’s all,” she relays and her mother hums. Emma gets distracted by Henry’s toys and Henry for a moment until her mother is calling her yet again.

“Emma- darling. Come back to reality,” Mal jokes and her child blushes.

“Sorry, but I just remember sitting on the floor and playing with my toys, you know,”

“I understand that, but I’m nearly positive you mentioned needing to feed him. I suggest you go and do that or he won’t be very cooperative later on,”

“Fine, but I’m coming back to play with these. He’s got some really cool stuff,”

“I’m sure he does,” Mal continues to tease but Emma is groaning this time. “I’ll let your father know to give you some time, okay?”

“Kay, thanks mom. I love you,”

“I love you too, Emma. Be safe and kiss Henry for me,”

“Definitely will,” Emma answered before she did just that. Henry scrunched up his face and Emma laughed. “Sorry buddy, but my mom sent that your way. I’m just the messenger.”

In response to that, his little stomach grumbles again and Emma decides it is time to get up and make them all something to eat. After setting Henry in some underwear and turning on the tv, he’s given some toys and a sippy cup full of juice; Emma then set out to make them breakfast. She thought of making oatmeal for Henry and giving him some fruit because she’s not sure if Regina has been able to give the little boy much nutrition. She also thinks of making Regina a hearty breakfast because the woman was still very small and it only seemed to be that she would eat more than what she gives herself if Emma is the one feeding her. For herself.. Emma supposes she’ll just eat what Regina eats because it’s easier that way. And so, she cooks them breakfast and plates everything off, loading the dirty dishes into the dishwasher before she gets Henry and carries him into the room even though his protesting is beyond adorable. He’s practically slung over her shoulder, giggling but still trying to be mad at her because he wanted to watch his cartoon, but no sooner has he been set down, does Emma turn on the tv that’s in her room. She disappears for a moment, but returns with food on trays and settles his bowl of food before him. Gently- she prods Regina awake, greeting the sleepy eyed woman with her dimpled grin and somber eyes.

“heyyy,” she whispers to Regina only to see Regina’s megawatt smile beam at her. “Sleep okay?” she asked and Regina nodded. “That’s good.. We’ve got breakfast and cartoons for right now until I’ve gotta go.. Which is like three hours from now.”

Regina sighs but she smiles anyway. She looks over at the notepad and reaches for it before she’s writing her message down and sliding it over to Emma.

_ What am I supposed to do? _

“Well, anything you want. This is as much of your home as it is mine now. You and Henry can unpack- or order some stuff.. Decorate, whatever you want. My tablet’s out in the living room and all of my accounts are setup, if you want something just order it and they’ll bring it in for you,” Emma told her honestly but Regina swallowed, shaking her head. She took the pad within her hands and looked at it, thinking of how she was going to word it all before she shrugged at herself and went for it. Emma watched in her usual manner with Regina’s etching across the paper before the brunette turned the pad around and let her read it.

_ I’m talking about paying you back. Shouldn’t I get a job or something? To help pay for the apartment and Henry and I staying here?  _ It asked but Emma shook her head.

“No.. and no.” Emma said simply and of course, Regina was confused. “Regina, listen to me. When I bought this place, I bought it because I needed it, Henry needed it and you need it. I was thinking about it all yesterday that I wish it was under a different pretense that I ended up buying it to begin with, but I’m glad it happened when it did because it would have been a mistake had I bought it when I was still with Ciara or something. This place has always been on my list since I started working for my boss. He wouldn’t shut up about it, my mom and dad wouldn’t shut up about it and you know, some of my friends wouldn’t either. I moved in with Ciara instead of buying this place. I lived in the hotels because it was easier than coming home to nothing and no one. In the hotel it just felt like a nice long vacation and with Ciara it was nice to have someone there. I wanted this place for the woman I married to start out in and have our first child in. I did all my research and kept this and many other places logged in the back of my mind because I thought one day- you know? One day whoever I married would love it as much as I did and still do. You know what I mean?” Regina nods. She supposes she does understand what Emma meant considering her first hand experience with how Ciara can be and now with the way Emma slowly lays her heart bare to Regina, it’s even more obvious Emma is much like many women, she wants the happiness. Something as close to fairytale as life can give, but.. She’s also very realistic about it all. Emma wanted to provide a home for her wife and child...and now Regina was impeding on that with her son. She and Henry were- she’s not given the chance to finish that very wrong thought as Emma spoke.

“Yeah, so, what I’m saying is, this place is ours. It’s our home. You, Henry and me. This is where we stay and I’m not expecting you to get a job. I don’t care if you get one or not. It’s whatever you wanna do, but don’t think you have to pay any bills or anything like that. You don’t. I just want you guys to be comfortable and happy and if you decide to get another job, of course I’ll support you; but like I said, if you wanna stay until you get back on your feet, this is your home for as long as you need it, but if you like staying with me.. Then that’s good too,” the blonde blushed as she smiled and finally saw Regina smile at her once more. The brunette nods once again but she still writes something on the notepad for Emma to read.

 

_ I do want to find a job, but I’ve never been qualified enough. I only have experience in working for my school at the time, and a few other minimum wage jobs- but now.. I have nothing _ it said and Emma was now nodding.

“Well, lucky for you.. I need an assistant,” Emma said easily. It wasn’t actually a lie. She did need an assistant, but usually her company would provide an assistant that they picked out. Regina’s eyes widen at those words. She scribbled once more.

_ I’ve never been anyone’s assistant.. Well, not really anyway, and I’m not qualified enough to help you _ .

“How would you know if you don’t try it?” she questioned but Regina looked away. Emma looked back at Henry for a moment before she stared back at Regina. “Is it about Henry?” she then inquired but Regina shook her head. “Then what is it? It’s actually pretty easy and even if it wasn’t, I’d explain it to you. We live together, there’s nothing to worry about. You know how to follow instructions, plan and reschedule meetings and all of that, don’t you?” Emma queried and Regina nodded, but she continued to look away from the woman. “Okay, and that’s all I’m asking you to do. I might need you to give me your opinion sometimes. I might need you to travel with me or something, but as my assistant, whatever perk I get, you get. If that means Henry flying with us first class, he flies with us first class. If that means nice hotel rooms and continental breakfasts, that’s what it means. If that means I’m taking a one month vacation to spend time with you two, I’m going to do it. I have so many days off it’s insane. I just never had to take any because.. Well, you get it. But yeah, work’s gotten busier and remember I told you it was back to reality for me today.. Well, I need an assistant.. How would you like to be my assistant? We can do the whole interview thing and I’ll pay you more than minimum wage, but.. What do you think? Are you up for it?” Emma asked her and it took a while for Regina to give her an answer. The brunette had stood up and walked around the room nervously, looking at all the boxes sitting in the closet, the beautiful view of Boston from their high rise. The safe feeling she hasn’t had for the past two years. She took in and looked at everything before she turned around and looked at her son being fed by Emma.

_ She loves my baby like he’s her own. She took us in even after finding out about him. She just wants what’s best for us… this safe place, this safe space. All of this she’s given us for absolutely nothing in return… how could I tell her no? How could I ever not be there by her side? She’s given us all of this… what could I possibly give back? _

 

Emma watched as Regina warred with herself, walking around the room in such a frantic pace, clearly trying to weigh everything presented to her.  _ Maybe it was too much too soon… I guess this is why U-hauling is such a thing _ .

But, their conversation is cut because Emma’s phone is ringing once again and this time it’s her father. She passes Henry his spoon and answers.

 

“Yeah dad?”

“Your mother told me you needed space.. Is everything alright?” David questioned only to hear the gentle huff come from his daughter.

“Yeah, as alright as alright can be. I just told her I wasn’t ready to talk about everything just yet, you know?”

“Yeah, I know. I’m heading into the station today. I sent Collins out to pick up your car. He parked it in the dock…. We’re going to be processing Frankie’s… words from yesterday-,”

“-and you need me to bring Regina in to give her statement.. Got you,” Emma interrupted but David cleared his throat.

“She doesn’t have to today if she’s not up for it, but the quicker we get this done, the quicker we can process this little prick and deal with him in court…” he trailed off. Emma nodded, turning her head to look at Regina who was now looking at her. The blonde put the phone on speaker and let David continue.

“Hey dad,” Emma called.

“Yeah?”

“Ummm, just wondering how all of this is going to work out. Could you repeat all of that for Regina please?

“Sure Em,” he told her before doing just that. Emma never broke contact with Regina who never broke eye contact with her. The brunette was clearly listening and obviously swallowing the information, but her facial features were impassive at best. Emma couldn’t get a read on her if she tried. “Got that?” he finally asked and Emma saw Regina nod. 

“Yeah dad, she got it. Thanks.. We’ll see what happens, but you said she had a week to come in and deal with it all, right?”

“Yeah, I can only stretch it for about a week before the file either gets tossed or you know, she drops any charges she’d have originally wanted to place..”

“...okay, listen dad- we’ve gotta get going, we were talking about something important and I kinda wanna finish that before I have to go into the office-,”

“-no- yeah, I get it. Go. Call us when you’re feeling up to it okay. We’ve got Archie on speed dial,” he reminded her and she rolled her eyes before smiling.

“I know dad.. I’ll call you guys soon. I love you,”

“Love you too Em. Say hi to Henry for me,” he told her and she nodded.

“Will do,” Emma answered before they hung up. Emma sighed gently before she leaned in to Henry and whispered the message from her father to the little boy. He giggled of course and Regina just watched them. She couldn’t quite place what it was she was seeing there in that moment. Was it nothing more than her friend bonding with her son… or was that a glimpse into some future for them? Waking up next to each other and having Emma pretty much bent over backwards over them. Supporting them without looking for anything in return. Finding them when they’re lost.. And who.. Who was there to do the same for her when she needed it.. Certainly not Ciara as it’s been obvious from their first meeting… but who, besides friends and family. Who was there for Emma when Emma needed for someone to just say yes? And that thought stuck to Regina because her only thought continued to be.

 

_ Could I be the one who is there for Emma? Could it be me? Does she even want it to be me? _

 

But instead of asking Emma, Regina let that thought continue to consume her everything. Even with Emma calling her name, it seemed muffled because her only thought was stuck on…

_ Could I be the one? Could it be me? _

 

_ Do you want me, Emma? _

_ Do you? _

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Emma swallowed thickly as she kept eye contact with the brunette. The way that Regina was staring at her but not responding had her worried. She stood up and made her way over to the woman before gently resting her hands on Regina’s shoulders and rubbing.

“Hey sweetie. You okay?” she wondered. Regina seemed to register her in that moment, shaking her head at first before her eyes fluttered and she huffed. Regina took a deep breath in, nodding strongly as she looked at Emma. Emma continued to rub her shoulders, a smile coming out as she saw that hint of light in Regina’s eyes. “Hey, listen, about the whole.. Be my assistant thing. You don’t have to answer me now, or ever for that matter. But, if you want a job, I’m always willing to offer you one… or if you want a recommendation, I can give you one of those too. Just a thought,” she told her and watched the younger woman nod. “Okay.. good. Now, can we eat? I have to get going in a little bit and I wanna spend some time with you guys before I go…” Emma trailed off but Regina smiled at her, nodded her head and walked over to the bed before she sat down. She patted the bed and Emma followed suit.

 

They eat and chat. Emma talks to Regina who responds with hand motions and her notepad etchings. Henry is pretty much oblivious to what’s around him because.. cartoons and the cartoons are fun, educational and silly at best. Him wiggling in his spot and bobbing his little head to the music is more of a giveaway that they think they’ve found a tv show that just might stick to him more than the others. Emma goes to take a shower after she sets everything in the dishwasher. Regina now notices after she’s kissed her son’s precious face so much that Henry has only been put in a pair of underwear, but he isn’t fussed about it. That hooded duck towel Mal bought for him looks to be a new favourite of his.

“I couldn’t actually get him out of that after he had his bath this morning,” Emma announces as she exits the bathroom in nothing but a pair of boxer briefs and a sports bra. Her toned stomach was on display, but she was more than oblivious to it all. Regina didn’t react in any manner that was inappropriate, she was just more shocked by.. Well, how massive the bulge in Emma’s underwear seemed to be. Emma looked down and blushed.

“Sorry,” she said. “I’ll go tuck it,” she continued but saw out the corner of her eyes Regina’s frantic wave for her to stop. Regina stood up and closed the distance between them before she held on to Emma’s hands and kissed her cheek. Emma felt goosebumps run up her spine because of the gentle brushing of Regina’s lips to her face. Regina mouthed the word ‘no’ to her and she couldn’t prevent herself from biting her bottom lip. “Are you sure?” she had to ask. Regina smiled and nodded before she pointed to Henry and made a roundabout motion that Emma understood,

_ Henry has the exact same thing as you. _

“Yeah but, he’s a boy and I’m sure he’s going to be confused when he gets older as to why I have a.. You know,” Emma said dejectedly but Regina just shrugged nonchalantly. The brunette put her hand to Emma’s chest and Emma felt it. The softest stroke of Regina’s thumb against her heart. Regina then stepped away from Emma, reaching for her notepad and writing her response. She held it firmly in the front of her chest for Emma to read it and understand something.

_ None of that matters and if he’s curious, we will tell him when he gets older, the same way we will have to explain it to him that I am mute. There’s nothing to worry about. Besides, at least you’ll be here to show him how to pee _ the note said and Emma couldn’t help but laugh. That was true. She could show him how to pee without pissing on the toilet.

“So you see yourself still living with me years from now, huh?” she wiggled her brows, earning herself a glare from Regina in return but then the brunette looks at her and she nods softly, her smile giving away that she’s thought of it already, and she doesn’t see why not. “I’d like that. I don’t think I’d survive if you took this little fella that far away from me… and your company’s pretty awesome too,” Emma winked. Regina grinned before she picked up her towel and made her way around Emma and went into their bathroom to take her shower. 

This shower is shorter, but it’s because her mind drifts to her time with Frankie once again and that’s why she’s out of there quicker and a little detached when Emma smiles at her and she doesn’t smile back.

Emma was putting on her belt and her dress shirt when she noticed the way Regina was, but decided not to bother the woman right then and there especially since Regina was only wrapped in a towel at that point. She had thought that she would let Regina come to her when she wasn’t feeling so anti-social or hurt or whatever it may have been at that point. She does sit on the bed and keeps Henry company as his mother finds something to wear. Regina reemerges from the closet in a pair of jeans and a fitted shirt and some socks. Wiggling her toes and wiggling within the tight jeans, Regina looks up. Emma is unable to hold the small smile on her face as she looks at the younger woman who looks at her with confusion for a moment. Emma just shakes her head in response before she’s standing and lifting Henry up.

“Hey bud, I gotta get going, can you do me a favour and keep momma safe?” Emma asks of him and Henry is quick to nod. Once again, Emma is aware he probably doesn’t understand exactly what it is she’s saying to him, but knowing that he at least communicates with her is something. Emma kisses his cheeks as she nears the front door, Henry now playing in her long hair. She’d thought of cutting it at one point because she was tired of it, but if it made him happy, she supposes she could just leave it and bare with waking up like she’d been attacked.

Regina follows behind her and watches as Emma skillfully shoves her feet into her dress shoes and pulls on her jacket before grabbing her wallet and phone. As she continues to hold Henry, she calls for the driver from the company and is prepared to leave when she looks at Regina’s face. “Hey, my car’s in the dock.. dad got one of the officers to bring it in for me. The code is 5828 and more than likely the keys are in the glove compartment. If you have to go anywhere you can. I’ll get a key cut for you today, but I’ve gotta head into the office.. Ummm, I think that’s it. If you need anything just call .. I mean, text me. My mom’s number is on the counter with the contract, but if there’s anything you ne-,” Emma’s little ramble is cut off when Regina closes the space between them significantly, causing the blonde to slightly choke on her words. Regina gently extracts Henry from Emma’s arms, noting that her son is reaching for the woman with a disgruntled face. Emma’s smile fades slightly because that’s obvious he’s sad about her leaving, but it’s also because she misses the little boy laying next to her. It felt different having a much smaller body pressed against hers, even if it was because she had put him there. It still felt different. In the best way possible, having Henry play in her hair, communicate with her quietly and smile his toothy smile because he was comfortable around her was more than enough. Regina places her hand to the back of her son’s head as she leans over to kiss Emma on the cheek. Though the blonde blushes and tries to smile back, they’re distracted by the whimper of the little boy between the two of them.

“Em!” comes the plea and both women pause with shock as they look at Henry. His reaching is still disgruntled and his face looks stricken now. He’s clearly cranky, but he’s trying to get his happiness back.. More than likely Emma’s hair, but still.

“Did he just?” is all Emma can ask Regina as she and the woman then share shocked faces. Regina nods, unable to communicate just how surprised she is by it as well, but the plea comes again, and this time it is accompanied by Henry bouncing in his mother’s arms and still making that grabbing motion towards Emma.

“Em! Em!” he calls for her and Emma doesn’t know what else to do but reach for him immediately. She bounces him in her arms, rubbing his back as he goes right back to playing in her hair.

“Henry, I thought you were gonna stay here and be with your mom, buddy,” Emma starts to explain but Regina presses a hand against her chest once again and she stops. Henry shoves his face into Emma’s shoulder to emphasize his point as well that he wants her to hold him and her heart breaks because she’s not even sure that he’s this way with his own mother, but from what Emma can tell that turns out to be true is that Regina isn’t the least bit offended or hurt by it.

_ He loves her so much already. How did we ever get this lucky _ ... With a soft shake of her head and mouthing the words ‘take him with you’ to Emma, Regina turned to leave. She had returned with one of Henry’s toys before she placed the notepad in Emma’s hand.

_ I’ll just pack him a bag and something to eat for the two of you.. Would you mind waiting? It will give me some time to unpack and think of what to make for dinner. _ It had offered her and she nodded before she sat with the little boy in her arms, watching as Regina took the dishes out of the dishwasher and put them away before she packed Emma’s lunch in the one container they somehow had.

_ Must be from her mother _ .

Regina also packs Henry two juice pouches, courtesy of Mal, some fruit for both him and Emma and other little necessities like wipes and pampers just in case he had an accident. His spare inhaler amongst other things are always in his bag and always at the ready. She carries the bag to the blonde and sets it down beside them before she’s kissing the top of her son’s head and Emma’s cheek, giving her a genuine smile. Regina gets comfortable in one of the chairs and picks up the tablet. She begins searching for the things she knows the apartment will need before she places it back down and begins to unpack the living room. Emma watches her, unable to determine what she’s feeling as she looks at the way Regina just fits so perfectly into that room.. Every room. Her and Henry both do. And then she felt it.

The double entendre of a heartbeat pound through her and made her stop breathing for a moment. Regina was unpacking Emma’s things, not hers and Henry’s. But Emma’s. And it may not seem like a big deal, but Emma knew it more than the action led on. She shouldn’t have expected that one night would render Regina wanting to stay or settling in with her. She shouldn’t have expected Regina to say yes to that job offer… Emma supposes she shouldn’t expect anything when nothing seems to be working out quite right. But the woman is humming to herself and she’s setting Emma’s things up, almost as if she knows exactly where everything is meant to be. Like  _ she _ was the one Emma had spent all those years with even though she hadn’t… and the double entendre came once again, vibrating through her core and shaking her very being. It’s almost as if they were already married and this is what married life looked like. A wife with a heart of gold and a shyness unmatched and a son, beautiful in every way. Special and oh so affectionate towards her. Both mean everything to her and that’s something Emma knows she should have admitted to herself when Regina was first in the picture. The mother of the little boy currently in her arms meant more than Ciara ever had, and that was saying a lot.

But then Emma was the one stopping her. She’d stood with Henry in arms and gently placed her hand over Regina’s. She knows she should say something.. She  _ wants  _ to say something, she just doesn’t know how to word it.

_ Guess I won’t get out the door at this rate _ . But, her mouth fixes and she tries. 

“Come with us. I’m just going into the office for a little while, that way you can meet my boss or whatever. I have to restock my art supplies and bring some of my equipment home too. I won’t be able to do that and hold Henry, besides, I don’t think my mom got him the carseat like I wanted, so you’ll have to hold him, and then we can take him to a park or something and see how he likes it..I mean, if you want.. If not, I can just come right back with him and we can hang out or something,” was Emma’s offer and at first, of course Regina said nothing. Not that Emma was actually expecting her to respond right away, but then Regina had smiled at her and nodded. “Okay, I’ll let you put some shoes on,” Emma smiled back, but once again, Regina’s face contorted into something along the lines of worry. “What’s the matter?” she questioned, watching as the brunette walked over to get the notepad and scribble something down.

_ Isn’t my attire too casual? _

“Only if you think it is. My office is pretty laid back. Do you see what I’m wearing? Trust me, no one will look at you sideways. My boss dresses like he’s going to hang with some friends and the rest of us just wear whatever, but I tell you what. If it makes you feel some type of way, I’ve got a crap ton of blazers in there, grab one and try it on,” Emma shrugs. Regina takes that offer and finds one fitted to her before she puts on her best shoes that still don’t come toe to toe with Emma’s. When she reemerges, Emma is grinning. “If I didn’t know any better I’d say you were an architect like me… or a business student.” Regina blushes. “Henry look, momma looks smokin’ hot, doesn’t she?” Emma asks her partner in crime and he smiles. “Okay, ready to go?” A nod. “Good, cus I’m kinda late,” she grins.

  
  


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

 

True to Emma’s word, Henry’s car seat has not been picked up and Emma is on the phone with her mother, the one that came with the car so she doesn’t get into an accident. The blonde finds out that her mother had the car seat in her own car and since Emma’s wasn’t dropped off til that morning, Mal had no idea that the car was even being moved anyway. She does tell Emma that she can come and pick it up, but Emma just waves it off, telling her mother she’ll buy a new one.

They do make it to the office and of course people look at them, but it’s more so because Emma is holding Henry in one arm and Regina’s hand in the other. The young brunette’s nerves had gotten the best of her and Emma’s only known of one way to help someone with their anxiety. Hold their hand and don’t let go until they’re out of territory. So, when Clyde the security sees this and Danny boy from accounting spots them amongst others, there’s no shortage of little wolf whistles or the “We finally get to see her face,” from her colleagues who were on that business video call. Regina can only keep her head down as they clear the first two floors and get to the elevator. Thankfully it is empty and Emma guides them towards her office, getting stopped along the way by one of the women who really had a thing for her.

“Emma, hi!” she grinned and the blonde halted all too fast for Regina’s liking. The young brunette squeezed her hand tighter, her eyes still downcast as Emma speaks.

“Abby, how are you?”

“I’m good! Oh, you have visitors with you today, huh?” she pried and Emma gave a tight lipped nod.

“Yeah, these are my..people-,”

“-Oh good,” she cut Emma off. The young blonde held back the action of an eye roll. “Listen, I was wondering if you’d wanna get a drink with me later, a little dancing a little partying..a nightcap,” Abby winked, but Emma felt her stomach roll. Even when Emma was with Ciara, Abby hit on her. But it was a good thing Abbie didn’t know Ciara by name or anything for that matter, she just knew Emma was taken. And now- she was doing it again, even worse than before.

_ She’s like some fucking shark out for blood _ .

“Actually Abby-,”

“-What did I tell you about formalities…” she interrupted again.

_ I don’t know, I never pay attention.. Besides, you’re pushing your late fourties, shouldn’t you have been married and settled down with someone by now? _

“Sorry, Abs- listen, I can’t go. I’ve got a thing-,”

“-A thing?” the woman pressed and Emma had to think fast.

“Yeah, see this is Henry and this is Regina.. She’s my girlfriend and this is our son.. We have a family thing later on, together,” the blonde said smoothly and Regina took that moment to look up. She’d been stood behind Emma that entire time, her view obscured as the blonde and the older blonde had their conversation. She felt the gentle squeeze of Emma’s hand on hers and relaxed. Abby coughed lightly before she blushed red.

“Oh- sorry, I didn’t know.. You had a child,”

“You know me, I don’t talk about my personal life much,” she said and it was true. In the last year or so is when somehow Emma had let it slip she was with someone, but like Abby, no one knew by name, age or the length of time they’d been together. At least, no one except Mister Jones.

“True,” Abby nods before she gets a good look at Regina. She can’t deny it, Regina is cute, and it’s annoying because she looks like a fucking teenager with her wide eyes and innocent face and squeaky clean demeanour.. Abby was jealous but now she knew to back off, even if she didn’t want to. She apologises to Regina who tries to smile at her but it doesn’t quite work out. Still, Emma cuts the conversation short and gets them into her office without another roadblock. She doesn’t even want to think about all the questions she will be asked about Abby and why she told the woman that Regina and Henry were her girlfriend and son. She’s not even sure the carbon copy answer she has for it would suffice in this case… but whenever Regina asked -she would have to be honest, because it was all she had left. 

Emma sets Henry up with art supplies and his toys and the tv in her office before she checks in on Regina who is actually sitting on her hands. Literally sitting on them. She strokes the woman’s hair from her face and speaks.

“Hey.. you okay?” A nod comes. “Sure?” another nod comes. “How’s the anxiety?” she asks but Regina shakes her head, causing Emma to sigh. “Then you’re not okay.. Come here,” she commands of her before she’s gently pulling Regina into her lap and holding her tightly enough that she feels the warmth and safety. For a good bit Emma holds her until Regina falls asleep, not willing to let the woman’s anxiety get the best of her before she sets her in the chair. Emma can only look at her for a moment more before there’s a knock at the door and in comes her boss. She taps at her lips and he catches on after seeing Regina curled up in the chair with a blanket over her. Henry is busy trying not to conk out himself and he’s doing a pretty bang up job of it, but Emma knows he won’t win that battle.

“Glad to see you’re back,” Mister Jones smiles and Emma nods with her own smile.

“It’s good to be back, sir,”

“Don’t I know it.. This came for you this morning. Angel called, said that the cheque is in there and that he’s never been happier… I don’t know, but if your friend can impress someone as finicky as Angel, we might have a spot open for her in the design department,” he jokes, but Emma knows he’s more than ninety percent serious about the offer.

“I already tried offering her a job as my assistant, but I think I scared her, I mean, she just came home and I’m not treating what happened to her with very much care,”

“And why would you think that?”

“Because she doesn’t want to talk about it. She’s smiling like everything is okay and I just.. I dunno, I’ve been going with the flow-,”

“-and that is because that’s all she expects of you to do.. Emma, listen to me, in all my years of knowing women, in most cases, when they face a trauma, if they tell you they don’t want to talk about it, you don’t talk about it. You just let them know that a door is open should they want to talk. You remind them of that everyday in subtle ways that whenever they need to break and breakdown, you’ll be there. This much I’m sure you know,”

“I do know, but I’ve never been in  _ this _ situation, you know?”she asks and he nods.

“And that’s understandable, just take it a step at a time, she’ll appreciate the effort more than the post action… just take it easy and let her come when she’s ready, okay?”

“Yes sir.. Thank you sir,”

“No need, now, excuse me- I have a special lunch to attend and you need to get a jumpstart on your new projects,” he teased, only laughing after he hears her groan.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Emma manages to finish up a few bits of paperwork and stack up the new set of projects she has. For a moment, her eyes wander over to Regina’s still curled up form and then back down at her stack of projects.

_ If I take any one of these, I’ll have to leave her and Henry…  _ she thinks to herself. She genuinely does not want to leave either of them, but Regina had panicked at the prospect of being Emma’s assistant, and Emma can’t just take them with her when she goes on these trips because it wouldn’t be covered under her fare, lodging and food...unless she asked her boss, but that was stretching it. She huffed, picked up the files and stuffed them into her messenger bag before she began to breakdown her drawing board and slide that into its own casing. It was strange to her. She barely was in her office because she travelled so much and usually, when Emma travelled, she took a sketchpad. She has barely used her drawing board and even up to now, still doesn’t see the purpose of having it. Of course it’s good for larger scaled drawings, but that was just the thing.. You could do the exact same drawing on a sketchpad… or at this rate, one of the graphical drawing tablets. It really didn’t  _ need _ to be in her possession, but with the consideration that the upstairs part of the loft was the whole reason Emma was moving the damn thing to begin with, made it less… unneccessary. Shoveling that as well as everything else she needed towards the door, Emma began to pack up Henry’s things. She somehow easily convinces him to help her, and by help it’s just chubby hands throwing toys into the open bag and missing, but laughing because what doesn’t hit Emma is making some weird sound that he enjoys. Emma shakes her head, holding back a grin because she does not want to enable Henry’s behaviour. She decides on giving him a snack and waking Regina. With a gentle shakes, the woman rouses. Emma relays that they need to get going and the young brunette nods.

 

Packing up the last of their things, Emma escorts them back down and out of the building and towards the car. She buckles Henry in and stops off to get them all something to eat before they head to the park. Of course the park is fun. Henry runs everywhere that he can, and then he wants to be on the slide- then on the seesaw, then on the slide again. The monkey bars and the spinning wheel. And it’s back to the slide.. Oh look, more slides! Oh! The tube- and would you look at that, more damn sliding. Emma and Regina have their hands beyond full with this little bundle of energy, but they let him have his fun, more importantly because Regina tells Emma that it’s Henry’s first time at a playground, which actually makes the blonde a little sad. It’s even sadder when Regina tells her she’s only ever been to a playground maybe four times, and that’s mostly because the school she went to didn’t have one.. Well, it did but the playground was so bogged with rust they were afraid the children would catch something. So, Emma somehow convinces the mother of one to join her on the swings and Regina goes for it because everything felt safe with Emma. Everything felt fine and this particular playground was so nice, you’d be nuts to think otherwise. It was nice to be a child again and to feel the joys of the things she didn’t have.

By the time they’re exhausted from mostly watching and running after Henry, Emma finds a sorbet stand and gets them all something to suck on for a while. He makes a mess in the backseat of the car, but Emma doesn’t care so long as he’s happy. Regina however, is trying to wipe it all from his face and Emma has to tell her,

“Sweetie it’s okay, I’ll get the car cleaned eventually,” for which Regina blushes at but she nods and leaves her son to slather the goodness of his strawberry sorbet all over his face. Emma consistently checks her rearview mirror as they’re driving around because she’s worried about Regina. Ever since Regina had taken that nap and woken up, she hadn’t been communicating much and Emma could tell there was just something on her mind. Something important.

“Regina, sweetheart- is something the matter?” she asked her, but Regina shook her head at the woman only to make Emma sigh. Regina shot the blonde a look but now Emma was shaking her head, scoffing lightly. “Nothing,” the blonde mutters, but she can feel Regina’s gaze stick to her and she can’t help but shift uneasily. They make it back home and Emma says nothing to Regina as she unpacks the car and takes Henry out at the same time. Walking ahead of Regina, Emma buries herself in conversation with the little boy who is oblivious to it all. Regina takes slower steps. They aren’t calculated, she just feels bad now and she knows she has every right to feel off whenever it comes around, but she doesn’t know what she did to warrant Emma being upset with her, so..when she gets inside the apartment and starts on dinner for them, she’s not surprised that Emma is nowhere to be seen and neither is Henry. Regardless of what may have upset Emma, the blonde still adores Henry. And Regina still loves them both.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“Okay buddy- one more,” Emma grinned as she tossed the toddler up in the air and caught him easily. Every time she did that he’d say ‘Gain- Em. Gain!” so, she wasn’t surprised this time around when she caught him he started chanting it once more. Emma laughs, shaking her head slightly as she sits them both down on the floor. She grabs one of Henry’s stray toys and passes it to him. “No more, Hen. I’m tired and we’re gonna eat soon. Do you smell that?” she asks him and he nods eagerly. She’s not so sure if he does, but she wouldn’t put it past him, the kid was extremely smart. “What do you think it is?” she asked him, knowing that the likelihood she’d get a straight answer was a long shot. He looked at her quizzically for a moment before he pulled himself up and began to stomp repeatedly. Emma took that as dancing, only- there was no music. His stomping picked up and finally she caught on to what it might have been.  _ A goddamn potty dance _ ! Quickly she took him to the bathroom and helped him out of his pants so that he could go and he sat, looking just a tad shy, but finally he went and she just stood there and watched until he was done and stood up. “Done?” she asked just to be sure and he nodded. “Alright, high five!” she cheered before offering her hand up for the high five. Henry jumped and slapped at it before he bent and pulled up his superhero underwear. He began to run out of the bathroom when Emma stopped him with one arm wrapped around his waist. “Wooooah there speedracer, first.. You left your pants on the floor and second, we have to wash our hands after we go… besides, I’m sure I’ll have to reiterate than when you’re older and I show you how to pee standing up…” she mumbled that last part. Once again, Henry seemed lost. Emma pointed to his pants and he ran and picked them up before she scooped him up and sat him on top of his counter.. They went through the hand washing routine, Emma even singing the song her mother had taught her before she set him off and he ran back into the room and for his door, stopping only because his mother was stood there with her head leant on the doorpost. Emma froze when she exited Henry’s bathroom, her eyes settling on Regina’s for a moment until she swallowed. Little hands of chubbiness made a grabbing motion for the brunette, and without looking down, Regina picked up her son and held him close. He immediately rested his head on her shoulder and began to play with the hairs at the nape of her neck.

“Hey,” Emma said almost too quiet to hear. Regina mouths back a ‘hi’. “Dinner ready?” she asked and Regina nodded. Emma nodded back, her breath seemingly missing as she answers as if she’s winded. “O-okay.. I’ll be out in a bit. You guys start without me,” she told Regina and at first she saw it in the woman’s eyes. The clearcut ‘no’ waiting to leave her lips.  _ If only the sound of the force of that no, came with it _ she thought to herself. But instead, it doesn’t come at all. Regina just shuts her mouth and gives an off head tilt before she leaves with Henry in tow. Emma lets out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding before trudging over to Henry’s bed and falling over it, her upper half completely strung over the side bar of it. She lays there for a moment, not sure what to think about or if she can even formulate a single thought at that moment. It all just seemed so.. Far in reach.

_ Well, there’s food for thought. Everything’s too far to reach. Great _ she shook her head at herself before huffing and attempting to sit up, only to feel the odd pain she’d inflicted on her back earlier. Emma breathes deeply, trying to gather herself before she exits and goes out the room and into the kitchen. Regina is just about done with taking up food so, Emma busies herself with getting them drinks. She pulls Henry’s chilled sippy cup with juice out and gets them both a bottle of water, opting not to ask Regina because she’s not even sure if she’s upset with her or upset about the situation that has to do with her. Emma hears Regina hiss, indicating she’d burnt herself and immediately, the blonde is by her side- checking her over and choking on her own words after she gives Regina the all clear.

 

They sit to eat and it’s quiet, save for Henry’s humming and the sound from the tv show he’s watching. Thankfully Emma gets a call and Regina gets a text from Ruby who is just checking in on her and telling her that the girls are missing her. Regina is touched by that, but she knows Ruby isn’t saying it just for the girls. She’s saying it for herself, but.. She knows as well as anyone who can see that it’s no longer her place and she would never jeopardize Regina’s happiness all because she misses her.

For Emma, it’s Ariel, then it’s Eric and then it’s a whole group face time that she spends a good twenty minutes on until Eric and Ariel remember that Regina is back and tell everyone to go.. That is until Emma is frantic for them all to stay and she has to spill why she’s being so spastic. She relays in short form, everything that occurred, gaining a few gasps and looks of respect but more importantly the “Go Emma!” chants and whatnot. Try as she might, the fake pride face she makes gives way to even more and surprisingly enough, it’s Mulan who pries when usually she’s one to leave you be. She’d always claimed that kind of thing was left for her uncle to do because he was a cop, and yet, she got it out of Emma quicker than it took for Emma to be obvious about it.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

There was a knock at the door and Regina stood up immediately to go and answer it. For a moment as she was making her way to the front door, she caught sight of Emma pacing back and forth, staring at her phone- head in motion and hand waving every few moments as if she were arguing something. Regina checked the peephole first before unlocking and opening the door.

“Oh, hello Regina, you’re looking better than yesterday,” Mal complimented and the young woman blushed. She stepped inside and began to take her coat off. Regina locked the door behind them and followed Mal, watching her as she set her jacket on the back of the chair and bent over the back to kiss the top of Henry’s head. “Don’t be shy, I’m very blunt and straightforward- I’m sure my lovely daughter has told you all of that,” Mal had said as she turned back to a still blushing brunette and Regina nodded. “Good, now how has Henry been? How is his breathing?” Mal questioned, going off on a tangent of them. Regina placed a hand to her arm and smiled before mouthing ‘he’s fine’. “Excellent.. Now, I originally came here to cook, but it seems you’ve already done that. I must say, you bounce back from trauma rather fast,” Mal told her but she couldn’t smile at her properly. Instead, it looked more like a pained feeling. And of course Mal saw it. She misses nothing. She does comment, but it’s not anything that is short of concern. “You’re trying to overcompensate for what you went through and why it’s making you feel a certain way,” comes those simple words that hold so much. It was a mix of profound and simplistic that was easy for anyone to understand. Regina can only nod for which Mal huffs gently before she steps forward and hugs her. “You know, sooner or later it has to come out of your system, holding onto it forever is not a good thing. I know it becomes this twisted foundation for us and later on- justification, but it’s not healthy. I’ve had my fair share of those moments, some worse than others and most I wish to forget almost everyday, but I had to tell someone and let it out. And I get it. I do, darling. It’s only been a day since you came home and yet, you feel you  _ need _ to be this wall of strength. I had to heal and so do you, but you do it when you’re ready and I think you are, but you’re trying to convince yourself that you’re not. Telling your story doesn’t mean you have to sit and tell someone the whole story. It’s what’s comfortable for you and what you feel like sharing and if that turns out to be nothing, so be it, but… “ she trailed off before holding Regina at arm’s length, “..make sure you tell someone when you feel it and tell someone who matters, okay?” she asked but the question was rhetorical, it was just for Regina to take into consideration. An active reminder. Mal waited a moment before she spoke again. She hadn’t realized she’d gotten so distracted with looking at Regina the way she did and had to swallow before shaking her head. “Just.. a question- feel free to answer, or not answer,” Mal told her and by the nervous look Regina gives her from the basis of this offer, she has every right be to confused and a tad bit scared. Mal tried to smile and reassure her it was all fine and well. “Have you and I met before?” Mal continues and this question makes Regina’s eyebrows shoot up and her lip twitch with a vocal response she cannot give.

Her immediate response was more than likely along the lines of “what”, which was beyond understandable, but then Mal is shaking her head, determined to see if she can figure it out. 

“It’s just, I feel as if I know you from somewhere.. Not an intimate setting, but a more social one. I mean, given your..small setback, I’m not quite sure where it could have been, but I do believe that you and I have met before,” she rambles on, but Regina doesn’t seem to remember and she looks more than sorry about it. “I suppose I’m just projecting a thought or memory onto you.. I apologise. Now, where is that big headed child of mine?” she questioned. Regina pointed to the balcony, Mal’s eyes following her until they settle on Emma very much doing the same thing she’s been doing since Regina sat to eat. “Is it business?” Mal wondered but by the way Regina looked about ready to shake her head in both the negative and the positive, Mal held up a hand. “Don’t bother, I’ll find out later..” she trailed off before she picked her jacket back up and began to put it on. Regina just watched her before her eyes went over to the glass sliding door where Emma was, Mal’s eyes once again following Regina’s lead. She fixed her jacket before she walked over to the sliding door and tapped it lightly. The gentle rapt still startled Emma.

“Yeah- no.. no I get it. Listen guys, I gotta go. My mom’s here,” Emma informed, only to hear all her friends shout out at once, their his and hellos to Mal. The older blonde sighed happily and smiled before saying a good night and watching her daughter hang up. Slipping the phone back in her pocket, Emma spoke. “Hey mom, what’s up? What are you doing all the way over here?”

“Emma, you’re a ten minute drive away from us,” Mal said saucily but Emma smirked.

“Ten minutes if you’re speeding, which you do… why are you up this way?” she asks again.

“I thought I’d come and cook dinner for you all, but like I said to Regina, she recovers rather fast… though, I’m sure we all know what I actually mean by that,”

“Well, no point in being subtle about anything now,” Emma muttered, earning a glare from her mother. She had the decency to look sheepish. “Sorry.” 

“...anyway, seeing as I’m not needed, I’m going home now, your father will be late from the station again,”

“Well, take him some food. I’m sure Regina cooked enough,” Emma told her but Mal said nothing. “What?” 

“Nothing, I suppose.. Though I can see the distress written all over your face… even though I’d love to ask and psychoanalyze you, I’m beyond capacity right now. But, I will tell you, whatever it is.. Let it go, you’re magnifying something that’s too small and doesn’t need the attention…”

“How would you know if you haven’t listened to what it is?”

“Because you’re my child and I know you and if you’re anything like either your father or me, you magnify small situations and end up mad for no reason...no  _ valid _ reason at least. Now I will say it again. Let it go,” she repeated and it took a moment for Emma to attempt to formulate a response. But nothing came.

 

The words hung in the air as Mal looked at Emma and dared her to argue otherwise. The young blonde had just huffed in response, a soft nod coming that was more along the lines of ‘giving in’ rather than agreeing.

“Good, because in a few days time, your father and I expect you for dinner.. And that has been extended to Regina and Henry. Don’t be late,”

“Wait, what? Why?”

“Well, you brought her into our lives, it’s only fair that she and he attends,”

“Come on mom, you can’t just do that! But what if I don’t want her to?” Emma argued and Mal rolled her eyes.

“Emma, that is Regina’s decision to make, like I said, it has been extended to her and Henry. Do explain to me what managed to bite you in the ass over the course of the day,” her mother commented more than she requested, Emma rolled her eyes, an action she almost immediately regretted given the look Mal gave her. The younger blonde sighed heavily.

“It’s nothing.. Or at least, it should be nothing-,”

“-and yet, it is. So tell me,”

“I don’t know how to explain it-,”

“-try, Emma! It’s not science. Just try. Say words until those are the words,” her mother told her, more so impatient than even she wanted to be. Emma pouted.

“I’m kinda- sorta upset with Regina,”

“What’s she done?” her mother asked but she shrugged in response.

“That’s just it, I wouldn’t say she  _ did _ anything.. It’s probably because she didn’t do anything or kind of won’t tell me what’s on her mind or what she’s feeling.. And I just got short with her,” the blonde shrugged helplessly.

“Emma… you do realized she’s faced a deep trauma and it takes some people months, even years to even crack a smirk, let alone a smile or bother to communicate with anyone without feeling as though that person might do the same thing their abuser did to them? She was away from her son, her family.. Her home- you even and when she was found, what did you notice?”

“You’re the psyche professor, you tell me,” Emma snapped only to have her mother huff and plop down on one of the balcony chairs.

“I might be a psyche professor, but you have basic human knowledge- or at least you should. You didn’t go to college just to come out and not have some form of common sense...She’s being brave, she’s hiding her pain and you know exactly why that is. You’ve said it yourself many times how brave she is and bold and all of those things. Caring but secretive- whatever. My point is, you know why she’s doing this and yet still, you find reason to be upset with her-,” Mal says, holding her hand up because she knows Emma is about to cut her off with a response. “-yes, I get it, you care about her. Trust me, I know you do. I haven’t seen you this invested in anything or anyone like this ever, but I digress. I know you want for Regina to tell you, but you have to make that ‘safe space’ comfortable for her to want to tell you and darling, you have not done that. You know what happens when you poke the bear? You get savagely ripped apart. You’re prodding her and she doesn’t want to tell you because you didn’t make her feel comfortable enough to  _ want  _ to tell you. It’s not that she’s not willing. She is, but can you blame her for feeling that way?”

“No.. and I don’t. I could never blame her for that, I just.. I want her to know I’m here. That she doesn’t have to deal with it all alone-,”

“-then you tell her that and make it known you will be there whether it’s raining or snowing a fucking blizzard, my darling. But you tell her and you let her come to you when she is ready. How would you feel if she were in your shoes, pressuring you to talk to her when you weren’t ready? I’ll use an example. Would you want to be the girlfriend or partner who pressures their significant other into sex?”

“GOD NO!”

“Exactly,” Mal said. “So don’t be that guy.. Or girl.. Or nonbinary human for that matter. Just be Emma. The Emma who supports, stands by and waits for you. Darling, I’m not saying you did anything wrong, but you rushed the talk a little too quickly and you’re going to have to apologise to her. Even I need to apologise to her,”

“You? What did you do?” Emma asked rather confused and Mal shrugged.

“I assumed Regina was holding it all in because she was trying to overcompensate for the situation and how it was really making her feel, but I now realize why that wasn’t the only reason. And though she didn’t deny it, I see it more clearly now...”

“She was afraid to tell me?”

“Yes,” Mal nods. “But she wanted to.. That much she didn’t deny either. I suppose she picked overcompensation because it was easier than saying she was once again.. Afraid to voice her her pain….my word this young woman has some serious strength,”

“She does,” Emma agrees.”And then there’s this thing with dad and her filing a possible report on Frankie. He called earlier today to tell us about it and I don’t know if that might have gotten to her or if something else did, but..she just wasn’t the same after that,” Emma relays.

Silence engulfs them for a moment until Emma smiles, spotting Henry. “Henry said his first word today,” she said softly and the way Mal turned quickly to look at her was because of the fact that they (she and David) were still under the impression he was mute much like Regina.

“He did?” she questions because, what else could she ask. Emma nods with pride.

“Yeah.. he said Em. Regina was right there.. She was...happy,” Emma answers with a somber look on her face. “I mean, she was shocked at first but then, she just looked like she was so happy he said it. And then he kept saying it all day,”

“Wonder where he picked up that nickname from,” Mal smirked.

“I have no idea, but he said it, clear as day and then earlier this evening when I was tossing him up in the air he said “gain Em!” so do you see why I’m so proud but conflicted.”

“I do but..what’s better- sulking in not being able to fix a problem or rejoicing in a new memory?”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

It had taken until after Mal had left and warned Emma once more about easing up and letting Regina be that her daughter finally, verbally agreed to do just that. Locking the door behind her, Emma swallowed thickly and watched as Regina cleaned up after the three of them. Refusing to load the dishwasher because it made more sense to her to just wash them by hand, Regina found that she wanted to just ignore the rest of the evening and go to sleep. She didn’t know why Emma wouldn’t talk to her and was upset with her, but it hurt her a lot to know that Emma just wouldn’t tell her why she was so.. Off. She hadn’t realized she was scrubbing one of the plates as hard as she was until she felt Emma’s hands slide over hers and both drag her from her thoughts and induce the feelings of comfort and warmth. She felt the blonde come even closer, her lips pressing to Regina’s long hair, finding her neck through the thick forest of curls. A kiss so soft was pressed against the back of the younger woman’s head.

“I’m sorry I was such an ass,” Emma whispers, but Regina doesn’t respond. Both because she can’t and because… she didn’t know what to say. Instead, she turns around and looks at Emma, her eyes searching the blonde’s for… she can’t believe she’s thinking it, but- a lie. She finds nothing leading her to believe the blonde is ingenuine in speech, so- with the need still ever present to just ignore the rest of the night, Regina nods. Her action is what is ingenuine and she’s not sure if Emma notices and just ignores that because she doesn’t want to deal with it, or if the blonde genuinely does not seem to think she could even be slightly uneasy about anything.

Emma bites her bottom lip, but she nods. She nods though she can sense the entire aura from Regina that it’s not necessarily okay. Still, the words of her mother ring in her head and it rings so god damn loud that Emma can swear the woman is still in the room..

“Do you want some help with the dishes?” the blonde asks, hoping to ease some conversation out of Regina, even if it does end up sounding like she has a running monologue with herself. Regina’s lip twitches as she looks at Emma and then looks away, shaking her head. “Are you sure.. I don’t have anything to do right now and I mean, really- I should be washing them since you cooked dinner, which was delicious by the way,” Emma finds herself rambling. Though Regina could look at her strangely and Emma would know exactly why, she also knows Regina won’t and will take her word for it. Her barely touched bowl of food would have given anyone else reason to believe she actually hated it considering she just left it to go and talk to her friends. “Please, Regina?” she asks, begs almost and Regina feels herself about to crack at that alone. With a gentle huff and a messed up sigh, Regina finally nods at the blonde and Emma can’t help but smile as she says, “Thank you.”

 

They wash dishes in silence for a good while, Emma doesn’t say anything and Regina doesn’t attempt to prompt her to do so anyway. It isn’t until Henry starts making noise that sounds more like distress that Emma is then drying her hands and whispering, “I’ll get him,” to Regina. The young brunette stops and watches the way Emma immediately changes in how she handles Henry. She is gentle with him, patient and she’s loving. Beyond loving. Emma is enamoured with the little boy, but it just looks as if he’s always been hers. As if he was her blood. As if she and Regina were together and planned to have Henry together. He even started to look like her a little bit even though he was Daniel’s seed. Even though he was Regina’s.

_ It’s just how she acts… so much like.. like..Daniel. And he loved us more than anything _ she thinks to herself, realizing in that moment, it had to be the same thing for Emma. The way she acted, the way she protected. The way she got upset. It had to be because she loved and cared for them. 

Regina finished up the dishes and washed up her hands before she dried them and headed into the living room where Emma had Henry sat on her lap, scrolling through the tablet on the toy store website. The blonde looked up at her, a soft smile coming to life on her face as she speaks to the young brunette.

“Hey, everything done in the kitchen?” Emma asked and Regina nodded. She tried to smile but Emma had already nodded and looked back down at the tablet Henry was busy slapping. Regina watched as Emma wrapped a strong arm around Henry and stood up, lifting him up under her arm. She continued to watch her son as he began to squeal in excitement, laughing and flailing as Emma soon held him up against her shoulder and kissed his red cheeks. She tossed the tablet onto the couch and walked towards Regina, her other hand coming to hold Henry up under the butt. “Come on buddy.. Let’s show mama what you can say now,” Emma grinned, but Henry shied away. “Awww, come on bud. Don’t be shy, I’ll say it with you. Let’s do it,” Emma urged him gently, but he shook his head, still hiding from his mother and the blonde. Emma gave Regina an apologetic look, but Regina had just smiled back at her and mouthed, ‘it’s okay’. “Okay Hen, you don’t have to say it. But, it is time for bed, so- say bye bye to Spongebob,” Emma told him and he stuck his head up quickly, waving frantically at the screen.

“I-bye ponbob!” he shouted, causing Emma to grin and shake her head, but Regina couldn’t help it, she giggled. A muffled giggle of happiness bubbled up in her- causing her to snort lightly before she waved a hand at them and attempted to walk away. Emma continued to shake her head and laugh as she carried Henry into the room. She turned the tv off and hit the switch in the living room. Regina was just pulling the covers back on the bed when Emma came in with Henry. She set him down and turned on her room tv for a moment to keep him distracted. She had then followed Regina into the bathroom and waited as Regina put toothpaste on her toothbrush before attempting to reach for her own. Realizing the young brunette had then picked hers up and done the same before passing it to her, Emma had to wonder if Regina was no longer.. Well, hurt and upset because of her.

“Regina.. Can I ask you something?” Emma questioned, earning her a confused look from the brunette. Regina nodded. “Are you still.. You know, mad at me?” Emma asked softly. Regina paused for a moment, craning her head more to look at Emma as if she had a second head. Reaching for a pad and pen that was just about always near her, the brunette wrote down her response, her toothbrush still sticking out of her mouth.

_ No _ it said simply. Emma sighed and nodded.

“Okay, because it’s really important to me that you’re not mad at me,” she admits shyly, but she sees Regina shake her head until she’s scribbling something else down. She passes Emma the notepad before she turns back to brushing her teeth.

_ I was never mad at you.. I was hurt because I thought you were mad at me..and you didn’t want to talk to me about it...and I was right, wasn’t I?  _ It asked her and truthfully, Emma knew she couldn’t lie to the woman before her.

“Yeah,” she muttered. “And I’m sorry.. I just… felt useless because I wanted to help you and because I couldn’t I got really mad. And I know that’s no excuse, but it’s the only reason I have..had-,” is all she manages to get out before Regina’s pressing a hand against her chest, shaking her head vehemently and sighing. She wishes with everything in her that she could vocally tell Emma that’s not her fault, because it genuinely isn’t. She understands why Emma was frustrated. It was because she cared and still does care. Regina understands it better than anyone the frustration she would feel not being able to help someone because you couldn’t, wouldn’t or just didn’t know how to communicate with them.

Emma sees it. The formation of the ‘no’ on Regina’s lips. Readying herself to say.. She’s the one that’s sorry, but before Regina can do that, Emma’s immediate reflex kicks in and her lips are soon on the brunette’s. She doesn’t know how long they stay like that, or even if the kiss becomes more than just a way to prevent Regina for taking the blame for something that was only a natural response, but, Emma soon feels it. Regina gives in. Her lips part in need and in want, allowing Emma’s tongue access should she choose to delve deeper. She wants to, Lord knows she does, but she just can’t quite bring herself to do it. She breaks the kiss, glossy brown eyes stare back at her in question.. It might have been ‘do you not want me’ or something along the lines of.. ‘what have I done? Did I do something wrong’ and Emma’s immediately thrown for a loop because she has nothing left to give in response except,

“I’m sorry.” That’s all she’s got. “I didn’t mean to.. I mean, I meant to- just not like that…” the blonde stutters out and once again, Regina is hurt. She looks away from Emma, spitting out the last of the toothpaste and walking out of the bathroom and into the bedroom. She shuts the tv off before she’s burying herself beneath the blankets. Emma watches the brunette woman turn her back and pull the rest of the covers over her head, effectively ignoring and blocking her out.

She sighs heavily, completely aware that she’d done yet another thing wrong even though the intent behind the action was genuine. She finishes brushing her teeth before she gives Henry a kiss on his forehead and tells him she loves him. Emma then hesitates.

_ Should I just sleep on the couch? _ is the question she ends up asking herself simply because it feels like she should in that moment. Well, it actually feels like they’ve been married for years and just had a really big fight over something really small…

“I guess that’s the same thing.. Minus the whole being married thing and ‘fighting’,” Emma mutters to herself. “I mean-,” she begins, finding herself in the living room. She grabs up one of the throw blankets and lays it out. “-why would she wanna marry me anyway? We’re friends.. And even still, I’m… not her type?” she now questions. Emma’s face scrunches up at that thought.  _ ‘What the hell is her type?’  _ Shaking her head, she continues her monologue with herself “Doesn’t matter, she doesn’t want me. I keep hurting her this early. It’ll be a surprise if anyone wants me at any point in my life.”

Emma collapses onto the couch. She grunts and groans but ignores the sounds going on around her, which means she soon falls asleep, not hearing when three to four hours pass and there’s a shuffling of feet moving around the condo. Gently, Emma is prodded awake. Her response to that is to groan, but she wakes nonetheless.

“Whaaat?” she asks sleepily, squinting her eyes and batting the intrusive fingers away from her. She doesn’t get a response and finds that she has to open her eyes wider to see who it is. It turns out to be Henry and his wide eyes staring back at her. At first, Emma wonders how the hell he got out of the bed considering it was at least three feet up off the ground and he’s only two. But then her concern is no longer that, but why he’s awake.

“Hey buddy, what’s the matter?” Emma questions him, trying to wake herself up more and get to the bottom of why Henry is wide-eyed and sleep deprived. The two year old doesn’t vocally respond, but he does point towards the room and at first, she’s not so sure she picks up on his message. He could be pointing in that direction for any number of reasons. It’s too dark in there, he woke up and he needs to be tucked back in. He has to use the bathroom.. Who knows! So, instead of just sitting there-, still half asleep and in some serious need for rest, Emma gets up with a gentle sigh and picks Henry up in her arms before she’s walking back into the bedroom and has to pause. Whispering, Emma asks,

“Is there a ghost in here?” but he just shakes his head and points again. He’s pointing at the bed and the bundle that is his mother.. Well, she’s somewhere under all of that. Silence makes Emma a bit stupid for a second because yeah, she’s slow on the up and up.

It clearly wasn’t meant to be heard, but she does end up hearing it. Now that Emma hears it, she guesses this is exactly why Henry came looking for her. His mother was in distress… or at least it seemed that way.

Gentle snuffling could be heard coming from within the room, but it’s enough for Emma’s curiosity and concern to peak. She rubs the back of Henry’s head, whispers reassurances to him that it’s all going to be okay before she settles him back into the bed. For a moment, Emma just lets herself look at Henry as she rubs his back- easing him into dreamland once again.

_ He’s so small and innocent.. What kind of god deals a child this kind of hand in life. A mute mother, a dead father.. No grandparents to spoil him.. Poverty.  _  Henry tosses for a bit, stirring Emma from her thoughts and bringing her back into the reality of it all. Rubbing the back of her neck because it’s her tell when she’s stressed, concerned of just guilty in general, she rises from  that somewhat comfortable seated position, rounds the other side of the bed and just stares at the mass of blankets skillfully covering Regina up. It’s unlikely the woman felt when the bed dipped at all considering it was one of  _ those _ mattresses. That and it’s a bit too ..calm? For Regina to just be under all of that and not flinch. Or so Emma thought.She tried to extract at least one of the two blankets she was sure was smothering the young woman and didn’t count on the next reaction she got.

Turns out, touching someone who is unaware of your presence can either elicit one of two reactions. Fight or flight… and Regina seemed to be prepared for both. A violent flinch from the brunette made Emma jump back, but it was the voiceless cry for help with Regina’s whimpered and weak thrashing that made Emma swallow back, hard. Known to be one for hesitation in almost every situation where affection was involved, Emma was surprised at herself that it did not come to life in that moment. Her brain had instead jumped into action, causing her movements to match and cohesively settle the unnerved aura in the air. Somehow managing to maneuver around a frazzled, sleeping Regina possibly blackening her eye, Emma wraps her arms around her tightly and pulls her off the bed and down onto the ground, and into her lap. 

 

It began with the rocking, cooing and soft murmurs of ‘it’s okay’. It turned into humming, singing and ‘he can’t hurt you anymore’. It morphed into consistent forehead kisses and ‘we’ll get through this together’.

But the night wore on. It had to. Time didn’t stop for anyone, why would it somehow stop for Emma? Why would it pause just so she could get her thoughts together?. Work through the mental status she was in and reach nirvana in some weird and twisted way, all because she managed to help ease the woman who was no longer tossing in her hold, putting up a fight,or simply just crying for help with no voice? Time doesn’t stop and she knows this.  That’s why when the clock rolls over, hours and minutes and seconds later, she’s still holding Regina, still without sleep, without peace, but stronger. She’s thinking. She’s still calculating- she’s still Emma. She’s going to figure out how to problem solve if it kills her

 

_ And it just might _ .

  
  


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End file.
